Police Charge Mother With Murdering Son

A Berkeley mother has been charged with murdering her 9-year-old son, police said Friday, after an investigation revealed she told a friend she had drugged and killed him.

Misti Hassan, 31, called a friend in San Jose Wednesday morning and said, “I have slit my wrists and neck and I have killed my son with Klonopin,” said Berkeley police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss, referring to a prescription drug used to treat anxiety disorders.

The friend flagged down a San Jose police officer, who alerted Berkeley police.

Officers forced their way into Hassan’s apartment near the corner of Shattuck and Ashby avenues, where they found Amir Hassan lying lifeless on a bed in his pajamas, police said. The boy was cold to the touch and authorities estimate he had been dead between 18 and 36 hours.

Misti Hassan was hospitalized with cuts on her arms and neck that police said were self-inflicted. Kusmiss said there was “a lot of blood” at the scene.

In a search of the apartment, police seized 45 pages of writings in Mitsi Hassan’s journal that included plans involving the mother and son “departing together hand in hand,” Kusmiss said. One passage spoke of the mother not wanting to “leave her son behind.”

The writings also detailed the last few days of Amir’s life, Kusmiss said, and described “sleepy effects” caused by the drug.

Prescription medication, food and DNA evidence were also found in the apartment, Kusmiss said.

The decision to charge Misti Hassan was also based on her statements to rescue personnel and to detectives in two interviews, Kusmiss said. Police took the case files to the district attorney Friday afternoon, who signed off on the charges.

The mother will remain at Highland Hospital until she is fit for incarceration, and then be transported to Santa Rita Jail, Kusmiss said. Authorities said Friday they were arranging to have a judge arraign Hassan in the hospital.

Officials at the jail said yesterday she had not yet been booked.

Amir Hassan was last seen on Sunday, Oct.7 when he played lacrosse at a local park and attended a birthday party, police said. There was no school Monday and the boy did not attend classes on Tuesday.

There were no signs of forced entry at the apartment and nothing to suggest anyone else was responsible, Kusmiss said. Every neighbor interviewed by investigators said Misti Hassan appeared to be a good mother despite dealing with emotional problems, she said.

Kusmiss said she could not offer details about the mother’s medical history.

An exact cause of death will not be available until a toxicology report comes out, Kusmiss said, which could take more than a week. Coroners have ruled out natural causes.

Kusmiss said analysis of the food and DNA evidence could shed light on how the lethal dose was administered.

The boy’s death is the fifth homicide this year in Berkeley.

Kusmiss said this case was “particularly devastating.”

“Whenever a crime happens, you always want to know the ‘why,’” Kusmiss said. “In this case, we will not be able to definitively answer ‘why’ for you. Those answers rest with Ms. Hassan.”

Longtime resident of the building Clarence Thomas said yesterday that Misti Hassan had told him about her suicidal thoughts. Thomas said he was not surprised to hear about the charges considering the circumstances of the boy’s death.

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