Mother faces main hearing for alleged murder of son in Kópavogur, Iceland

A mother accused of killing her six-year-old son and attempting to murder her older son is facing a main hearing that began this morning. The proceedings are closed to the media.

The boy was found dead at the family’s home in Kópavogur at the end of January, where he lived with his mother and eleven-year-old brother. The boys’ father resides elsewhere. The mother was arrested at the scene and has been held in custody since then. She admitted guilt during the arraignment in Reykjaness District Court in May but claimed she was not criminally responsible at the time of the incident.

The mother faces charges of suffocating her younger son with a pillow while he was sleeping on the couch. Reports indicate that she pressed down on his face with both hands and choked him until she realized he was dead. Following this, she entered the bedroom where her older son was sleeping on his stomach and covered his face with one hand while grabbing his neck with the other, pressing his face into the bed, preventing him from breathing. The older son managed to fight off his mother and escape the home.

The family is originally from Iraq and has international protection, having lived in the country for approximately four years. The child’s legal guardian is demanding that the mother pay him ten million in damages, while the children’s father is seeking eight million.