Saritha Ramaraju has been charged with special circumstances murder, and prosecutors say she could be eligible for the death penalty
The woman who allegedly told a 911 caller she had fatally stabbed her son appeared expressionless and compliant as she walked to responding officers who arrested her, newly-released bodycam footage shows.
The 11-year-old boy was found with his throat slit at the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Santa Ana, Calif., on March 19, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
His mother, 48-year-old Saritha Ramaraju, was arrested at the motel and charged with murder.
A clip from the bodycam footage of her arrest, obtained by Law & Crime, shows Ramaraju walking toward the arresting officers.
“Come over here,” an officer says to her as she exits a room.
She appears to be talking on the phone as she slowly walks down the motel balcony towards the officers.
She is seen saying something inaudible into the phone before she comes to a halt.
As officers walk up to her and handcuff her, one officer is heard saying, “She has blood on her hands.”
Ramaraju appears to remain calm and complies without any verbal or physical resistance. The clip appears to show a few drops of blood on the sleeve of her shirt. She is seen wearing socks but no shoes.
Ramaraju had allegedly reported the killing herself to police that morning, the DA’s office said in their statement.
She allegedly told police that she had stabbed her son to death and ingested pills in an attempt to die by suicide, per the statement.
At the time of the incident, her son was in her care for a custody visitation, and the two had just returned from a three-day trip to Disneyland. On the day of the killing, she was scheduled to return the boy to his father, whom Ramaraju divorced in 2018, authorities said.
Investigators found the young boy's body surrounded by Disneyland souvenirs, per the DA's office. They found a large kitchen knife, which police allege had been bought the day prior.
Ramaraju was arrested after initially being taken to the hospital for ingesting an unknown substance.
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Ramaraju was initially charged with one count of murder and one felony enhancement of personal use of a weapon, a knife, per the DA's statement.
The DA’s Office tells PEOPLE they have filed for an upgraded charge of special circumstances murder, including the special circumstance of lying in wait, citing the allegation that the knife allegedly used to commit the crime had been purchased the day before.
The upgraded charge could land Ramaraju the death penalty, the DA's office said.
She has been assigned a public defender, and has not entered a plea, per the office.
Santa Ana police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comments.
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