Boy Kills Mom With Hammer and Texts Photo to Friend

What would cause a teenage boy to beat his mother to death with a hammer and then text a photo of her body to a friend? Here's an account of Donna Zaragoza's tragic death.

How did the police discover Donna's body?

On the morning of July 20, 2017, Harford County police arrived at Donna Zaragoza's townhome in Bel Air, Maryland. When they entered Donna's bedroom, they discovered her corpse lying on the bed — next to a bloody hammer.

Police noted that Donna had suffered major skull trauma, as well as one stab wound to her back and another stab wound in her chest.

Who else was in the house when the police arrived?

In an adjacent bedroom with the door locked, police found Donna's son Andrew Zaragoza, a 16-year-old C. Milton Wright High School student.

Andrew had attempted to commit suicide before police arrived by stabbing and scratching himself in the face and neck, as well as drinking bleach.

Deputies also discovered a letter written by Andrew on that same day. In it, he confessed to murdering his mother and detailed his plans to end his own life as well.

Did Andrew admit to committing this crime?

The official police documents for the case quoted Andrew as confessing, "My mom was taking pills this morning, she hit me and I killed her," according to WMAR2 News in Baltimore.

Over an hour before police arrived at the townhome, Andrew sent a text message to a friend containing a photo of the bloody crime scene and Donna's mutilated body. He told the friend his life was over.

How did police classify the death and was Andrew charged?

Originally deputies classified the death simply as suspicious. However, after Andrew's confession, investigators upgraded the case to a full-on murder investigation, charged Andrew with murder, and arrested him, holding him without bail.

What motive did Andrew have for killing his mother?

When the case went to court, Andrew's lawyer argued that Donna had a history of abusing the teenager, both mentally and physically. According to the lawyer, when Donna hit her son that morning, he snapped and killed her to retaliate for all the years of abuse.

Was there any actual evidence of abuse?

Records showed that police had visited the home multiple times, investigating mental health issues and drug use. Apparently, both Andrew's father and his uncle had died there, as a result of drug overdoses — though prosecutors couldn't prove Donna had been a drug addict.

What was the outcome of Andrew's trial?

In July 2019, the court found Andrew guilty of killing his mother. The judge noted the brutality of murdering someone by beating them with a hammer and delivered a prison sentence of 30 years to the young man — 15 of those years were ultimately suspended — as well as additional sentences of three years each that would run concurrently, for two weapons charges.

The Donna Zaragoza case gained media attention because of the shocking brutality of the murder, as well as the murderer's young age.

References: Teen texted picture of mother's dead body | Teenager, 16, 'murdered his mother with a hammer then texted photos of body' | Zaragoza v. State