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Charges: Girl, 8, Says Mom Choked Her Until She Passed Out

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 30-year-old Falcon Heights woman faces charges of attempted murder and domestic assault after allegedly choking her 8-year-old daughter over the weekend.

Jozetta Byrd is charged with one count of attempted murder, two counts of assault and one count of domestic assault by strangulation, according to court documents filed in Dakota County.

The charges stem from a Sunday night incident where hospital workers at the Hennepin County Medical Center called police, saying an 8-year-old girl showed signs of physical abuse.

At the hospital, police spoke with the girl's grandmother, whose son has two children with Byrd. The other child is a 3-year-old boy.

According to a criminal complaint, the grandmother brought the girl to the hospital after the children spent the night with neighbors in an apartment complex on Larpenteur Avenue. The grandmother said that the children stayed with the neighbors after the 8-year-old said her mother choked her until she passed out.

When speaking with a social worker, the 8-year-old said that Byrd told her she had to die, the complaint states. She said that Byrd pinned her to the floor and choked her until she fell asleep.

When the girl woke up, she said she saw Byrd trying to choke her little brother, but the boy ran away. That's when the girl said she fled the apartment and got help from neighbors.

The criminal complaint states that as part of the investigation police spoke with Byrd's mother. She told officers that her daughter suffers from depression and doesn't take her medication.

She also said that on Friday the kids' father called her, saying that Byrd had told him she was going to send the kids to heaven, because they did not belong "in such a bad world."

On Tuesday, police learned that Byrd had returned to her apartment following Sunday's incident. Police said they found her sitting outside her apartment and arrested her without incident.

When speaking with investigators, Byrd denied that she suffered from mental illness, the complaint states. She also said that she and her boyfriend had recently broken up, which had been hard for her.

When police asked if she wanted to send her children to heaven, Byrd said she wanted the interview to stop.

If convicted, Byrd faces a maximum sentence of 48 years in prison and/or a fine of $45,000.

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