Son, 21, 'mistakes his mother for an intruder and beats her to death with a sport memorabilia baseball bat' after she walked into his room at night when he was 'drunk and jet-lagged'
- Thomas J Summerwill, 21, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder
- Authorities say he believed he was acting in self defense when he beat Mary Summerwill to death at the family's home in Campton Hills, Illinois, on March 24
- The defendant claims he was startled awake and thought his mother was an intruder when the 53-year-old entered his second-floor bedroom
- Prosecutors say his belief 'wasn't reasonable because of his alcohol impairment'
- Summerwill's attorney Liam Dixon has said that even if alcohol played a role, 'I don't know that that changes his reasoning'
- Dixon said his client is 'devastated' and he had a great relationship with his mom
- 'Whatever the state does to him will pale in comparison to what's already happened,' the attorney said
- A Kane County judge set Summerwill's bond at $300,000 on Tuesday
- The 21-year-old, who just finished his junior year at University of Wisconsin-Madison, was released after posting 10 percent of his bond
A suburban Chicago man charged in the beating death of his mother mistook the woman for an intruder when he repeatedly hit her with a baseball bat in their $500,000 family home, an attorney said.
Thomas J Summerwill of Campton Hills has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the March 24 death of 53-year-old Mary Summerwill.
Kane County state prosecutors say Summerwill believed he was acting in self defense when he struck his mother, not knowing it was her, in the head with the sports memorabilia signed bat that hung on his bedroom wall.
However, prosecutors alleged that the defendant's belief was not reasonable because he was under the influence of alcohol.
Summerwill's attorney Liam Dixon said that even if alcohol played a role, 'I don't know that that changes his reasoning'.
Dixon said his client is 'devastated', and that he had a great relationship with his mother.
'Whatever the state does to him will pale in comparison to what's already happened,' Dixon said following a Tuesday hearing where a Kane County judge set Summerwill's bond at $300,000.
The 21-year-old, who just finished his junior year at University of Wisconsin-Madison, was released after posting 10 percent of his bond.
Thomas J. Summerwill (left), 21, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the March 24 death of his mother, 53-year-old Mary Summerwill (right)
Thomas Summerwill and his mother are seen above visiting Washington, DC, in the summer of 2015. The defendant's attorney said the pair had a great relationship
Thomas Summerwill, who had just finished his junior year at University of Wisconsin-Madison, posted $30,000 bail on Tuesday. He is due to appear back in court on May 23
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Summerwill's father was at the family at the time of the attack. He and his son called 911 that morning to report that Mary Summerwill had been injured.
She was taken to a hospital where she died a short time later. A coroner determined that the cause of death was cranial injuries.
Dixon called the attack a 'freak accident' and said his client may have been suffering from jet lag as he had just returned from a spring break trip to Ireland and parts of Europe.
The Summerwill family home in the Chicago suburb of Campton Hills, Illinois, pictured above. The home is estimated to be worth $500,000
Dixon said Summerwill has the full support of his family, including his mother's relatives.
He said of the mother and son: 'They had an excellent relationship. I wouldn't even call it a typical relationship, I would say it's very loving. She adored him.'
When asked why his office charged Summerwill with second-degree murder, State's Attorney Joseph McMahon said that is what the evidence supports.
'The facts of the case will come out in court and we’ll present our case, but he’s charged with second-degree murder,' McMahon told the Chicago Tribune. 'We believe that is the appropriate charge.'
Second-degree murder is punishable by probation or up to 20 years in prison.
Summerwill is scheduled to appear in court on May 23.
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