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Illinois Man Allegedly Tried To Stab Mother To Death So He Could Pay His Tuition

By Chelsea Hoffman
Published on: 07:05 PST, Jan 6, 2016

An Illinois man is in jail after authorities say he tried to murder his own mother for a shocking reason. The Dreamin’ Demon reports that 22-year-old Michael Bernhard needed to pay his college tuition, but now it looks like he won’t be returning to school after this week’s incident.

The 22-year-old man had been staying at his mother’s home while on break from college, and this week, he was scheduled to return to classes. However, he lacked the money to pay his tuition, which put him in an apparent state of desperation. Authorities in Will County, Illinois, say that he decided to kill his mother in order to access her insurance money.

Fox 32 Chicago reports that the Illinois man was in his mother’s vehicle as she was backing out of her driveway to transport him to a nearby train station. However, he asked her to stop (because he supposedly forgot something in the home). When he returned to the vehicle, he brandished a large kitchen knife, which he then used to brutally attack his own mother. Bernhard reportedly stabbed and slashed at his mother numerous times before she was able to back out of the driveway to get away from him. Meanwhile, a family member witnessed the attack and dialed 911.

Michael Bernhard has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated domestic battery, and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. All of these charges, in the state of Illinois, could garner him several years of imprisonment if he’s convicted. Meanwhile, the Illinois man’s mother has already been released from the hospital after being treated for various lacerations from the knife on her hand, neck, and other parts of her body. She is making a full recovery with non-life-threatening injuries, so it certainly looks like her son failed at carrying out his alleged plan.

This isn’t the first time someone has tried to kill their parents over the pressures of school, whether the pressure surrounds grades or finances. Last year, an Alabama man was accused of killing his own mother over an argument about his low grades in college. Tyler Ryan Blansit reportedly confessed to authorities that he murdered his mom before hiding her body in their backyard after becoming enraged during the argument. The 22-year-old man will likely have to finish any of his desired schooling through the prison system after claiming the life of his own mom.

The act of killing one’s mother is referred to as matricide, and there are reports of these types of killings quite frequently in the media. In fact, Psychology Today reports that matricide or patricide cases are on the incline. The number of matricide or patricide cases have increased to at least 13 percent of familial homicides. So what could this statistic symbolize in regards to the seemingly frequent incidents of children killing their parents?

In the case of Illinois man Michael Bernhard, it’s hard to tell what may come of him. Authorities report that members of his family witnessed the brutal attack, which only adds to the difficulty he may face in a trial, especially since his alleged victim has survived the attack. Meanwhile, authorities have not addressed whether or not any of the family’s neighbors may have had surveillance on their properties that could have possibly captured evidence of the attack.

[Image via Wills County Police mugshot]

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