Patricia Ripley, 51, stands accused of murdering her 9-year-old son, who had autism. Court documents reveal that shortly after the incident, Ripley told both her family and police that her son had been abducted. She has pleaded not guilty and plans to argue that she was sleep-deprived at the time of her alleged confession.
Ripley’s older son, Aldo Ripley Jr., gave a deposition providing insights into the family home environment. He described the household as peaceful and loving, stating that their mother never yelled at or physically disciplined him or his younger brother. However, Aldo noted that his younger brother experienced frequent sleep disturbances, often waking several times each night.
On May 21, 2020, Aldo was attending online school at home while his father worked remotely in another room. Patricia left home with her son A.R. to run errands. Aldo recalled receiving a phone call from his mother, during which she was screaming and claimed something had happened to A.R., saying he was taken.
The family rushed to a Home Depot location where Patricia said her son had disappeared. She described an incident where two men chased her, crashed her car, demanded drugs, and stole her phone and tablet. Patricia claimed the abductors then grabbed A.R. and fled.
However, investigators found Patricia’s abduction story inconsistent after witness reports indicated she had attempted to drown her son. According to prosecutors, bystanders intervened during the initial attempt, but Patricia allegedly succeeded in drowning A.R. at a second location.
In his deposition, Aldo Ripley Jr. expressed uncertainty about the events, saying he did not know what was true and had not seen any confession from his mother. Despite the situation, he stated that he still loves his mother and disagrees with the prosecution’s pursuit of the death penalty.
Patricia Ripley’s next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday, where a hearing on pretrial motions will take place. If convicted, Ripley faces a potential death sentence.
