Family dinner resulted in horror when son killed personal mum satisfied she was a witch
Daniel Cook left his mother Ellen Cook, 72, dying in a pool of her own blood after stabbing her 30 times after a family dinner at her home in Littlethorpe, near Leicester
A son brutally murdered his mother by stabbing her over 30 times in an attack that spilled out into the street. According to three psychologists, Cook, 39, was suffering from schizophrenia and believed his 72 year old mother, Ellen Cook, was a witch.
During his sentencing for manslaughter at Leicester Crown Court on Friday, December 12, the details of the horrific killing were revealed. At the time of the incident, Cook was living in Ashby, running an online business selling books and other items. However, he had expressed a desire to move back to his parents’ home in Littlethorpe, near Leicester.
The events leading up to the murder began on Sunday, May 11, during a family dinner, when Ellen announced that she did not want her son to move back in with her and her husband, Russell, at their home in Biddle Road, Littlethorpe.
Later that evening, while in the living room, Ellen got up to go to the kitchen, followed by her son. Russell heard his wife screaming “don’t” multiple times, prompting him to investigate, reports Leicestershire Live.
He found his son standing over his injured mother, who was kneeling in the garage, with a bloodied knife in his hand.
Cook initially approached his father with the knife but stopped and said, “I’m not doing you.”
When Russell tried to reason with his son, saying, “don’t do any more, Daniel, she is your mother,” Cook knocked him to the ground. Ellen, who was heavily bleeding, managed to crawl out into the street through the open garage door, with Cook following close behind, continuing his attack.
Cook continued his brutal attack on his mother, using such force that he broke two of her ribs, despite the intervention of a neighbour and his own father. By this time, several neighbours, observing from nearby or their windows, had alerted Leicestershire Police.
Russell was heard pleading with his son: “That’s enough. You’re going to kill her.”
His chilling response was: “That’s exactly what I want – I want her to die.”
He added: “It’s her fault,” before heading back into the house.
John Lloyd-Jones KC presented police bodycam footage from one of the first officers at the scene. The officer paused near Ellen, who lay motionless in the middle of the road, and spotting Cook in an upstairs bedroom, directed his colleague to attend to the victim while he approached the house.
While waiting for reinforcements, Cook emerged from the garage brandishing a knife. He disregarded orders to drop the weapon and remain still, leading to him being Tasered multiple times by the two officers during a protracted struggle to subdue him.
His mother was declared dead at the scene at 9.48pm, roughly 25 minutes after emergency services first arrived.
In custody, Cook blamed his mother, stating: “She’s the cause of it,” and “She’s the source of all my problems.
“I’m going to win the case – my mum started it. You know the script.”
Mr Lloyd-Jones revealed that Cook, who had admitted to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, was admitted to the Bradgate Unit in Leicester in 2023 for over a fortnight due to his mental health issues. He also mentioned an incident from 2009 where Cook threatened his mother with a knife.
He proceeded to read out victim impact statements, including two from Cook’s sisters. One sister expressed her fear that her brother would pose a “genuine danger” if he were ever released, and she would be forced to relocate her family if that were to happen.
The other sister recounted how their mother often voiced her worst fear: Cook committing a violent act and ending up behind bars for life. She added, “All she ever wanted was for him to be well and live a normal life.”
During the sentencing, Judge Timothy Spencer KC heard from Mary Prior KC, Cook’s defence counsel, about the suitable punishment.
She raised “major concerns” about Cook, aged 39, being sent to a standard prison due to the risk he could pose to others if prison staff failed to ensure he took his medication.
She argued that the public would be safest if Cook were given a hospital order, which would entail him staying in hospital under restrictions to prevent him from discharging himself. Mrs Prior stated unequivocally that her client was a “danger to the public”.
Judge Spencer addressed Cook directly, saying, “You stabbed your own mother to death. She was 72 years of age when she died.”
The judge stated: “It’s clear to me your violence only had one target – your irrationally-arrived-at target of your mother.”
He reiterated parts of the family’s victim statements, telling Cook: “I hope you understand something of what your family have said.”
Outlining the events leading up to the killing, the judge said: “For about a year prior to the killing you honed the warped view that your mother had forced medication on you when you were a child.”
He continued: “You would, on occasion, shout at her. You would accuse her of being a witch.”
The judge added: “You declared at a family meal that your mother had poisoned you. She was undeterred.”
Despite Cook’s accusations, his mother continued to show her love and support for him.
Cook was handed a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years before he is eligible for parole. The sentence will be a hybrid order, meaning he will remain in hospital until he is medically fit to be transferred to prison.
