A Bronx woman brutally beat her mother to death with a cooking pot and then made a chilling confession to the gruesome killing by calling 911, sources and stunned relatives said. Skydajah Patterson, 26, had reportedly been discharged from a mental health care facility shortly before she allegedly attacked Selma Mclean, 46.
Skydajah attacked her mom inside their apartment located in NYCHA’s President Adams Houses in the Bronx around 3:40 a.m. on Monday, according to police and sources. She then told an emergency operator, “I just killed my mom,” as authorities were called to the apartment. Later, Mclean was found unresponsive with injuries to her face and head, sources said.
Killed Mother for No Reason
When police arrived at the third-floor unit, they allegedly found the younger woman still holding the blood-covered pot, as per sources. The older woman was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
Her daughter, Skydajah, was arrested but did not face any charges as of late afternoon, as stated by law enforcement.
Mclean’s goddaughter, Danaeyah Reynolds, 26, told the New York Post that her godmother had been texting her shortly before the brutal murder, saying that she was afraid of Skydajah.
Reynolds said that Skydajah had recently been discharged from a psychiatric ward.
“She was in a psych ward in February until last week,” Reynolds said. “She started hearing voices and started speaking in a man’s voice last night. My godmother said she was afraid. Jamilla said she was scared because Skydajah was saying that the voices in her head were telling her that [my godmother] was dangerous.
“When I got here I looked in and I could see blood on the couch,” she added. “They say it was too late to resuscitate her.
“I opened the door and just saw blood.”
Lost Mental Balance after Son’s Death
Reynolds added that Skydajah’s mental health had deteriorated since she lost her baby boy back in August. “She didn’t properly heal from it,” the goddaughter recalled. “She just wanted to be over it and be out and everything to be fine and she just kind of went forward like that. She was worrying about the break-up with the baby’s father.”
Reynolds said that Skydajah’s condition worsened further last month, which was the most recent occasion when she purportedly assaulted her mother.
“It was with knives that time,” she said. “The demons, the voices in her head were telling her, ‘Your mom is out to get you, your mom is a bad person – watch out for her!'”
“She called the cops on herself. She spent two weeks in the psych ward and she came out last Tuesday.”
Law enforcement sources said that Skydajah had a previous “domestic incident report,” with her mother as the victim, dating back to October 2022.
According to the family, Mclean had three daughters, but only two, including Skydajah, lived with her. The other daughter arrived at the apartment on Monday afternoon, visibly distraught.
“Jaeda! My mom!” the woman yelled as she punched a closed door. “My sister kill her! Last night, she kill her with a frying pan. I need my inhaler, it’s inside! I can’t breathe, God damn it, let me in!”
Rosa Medina, aged 79, a neighbor who had resided across the hall for the past 14 years, described the family as “very quiet.”
