The 28-year-old also allegedly slashed his son with a knife after telling boy he was going to send him home to God, officials said.
A 28-year-old California man has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly stabbing his 8-year-old son in the neck several times with a screwdriver and slashing him in the hands with a knife while the boy visited him at a sober living facility, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release.
Christopher Lee Kearns, 28, of Santa Ana, has been charged with one felony count of attempted murder, one felony count of child abuse and endangerment, and two felony enhancements of personally using a deadly weapon. He was also charged with one felony enhancement of inflicting great bodily injury during the Feb. 10 incident, according to the district attorney’s office.
Kearns’ son was finishing his visit with his father at a sober facility when authorities say the man took the child to his room and placed him on his lap to talk about God, KTLA reported. As the boy's mother and stepfather waited outside, Kearns allegedly told the boy that he would “send him home to God” before placing his hand over the boy’s mouth and nose to keep him from yelling for help, KTLA reported.
He then stabbed the boy twice in the neck and slashed his hands with a knife, the district attorney’s office said. Another resident heard the boy’s screams and pulled Kearns off the boy, the district attorney’s office said.
The boy was taken to Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) in Orange where he remained hospitalized for several days. Among his injuries were also defensive wounds, officials said.
“This little boy was in the fight for his life against his own father, and it is nothing short of a miracle that he managed to survive being stabbed twice in the neck,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in the press release. “It is unimaginable the absolute fear that this child felt knowing that his own father tried to stab him to death while his mother was outside waiting to pick him up. We are so grateful for the amazing work of the staff at CHOC to save this little boy’s life and we are committed to pursuing justice for this little boy.”
Kearns is scheduled to be arraigned on March 1 at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana in Department C55. He is currently being held at the Intake Release Center in lieu of $700,000 bond. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years and four months in state prison if convicted on all counts.
Inside Edition Digital has reached out to the Orange County District Attorneys Office for further comment and has not heard back.
Related Stories
