Son, 20, 'beat his mother with a baseball bat because she took away his phone and car keys'

A 20-year-old man is accused of beating his mother close to death with a baseball bat after she took away his car keys and phone as a punishment.

Joseph Conrad is alleged to have tried to cover up the assault by making it look like his mother was the victim of a violent home invasion.

Police said Kathleen Conrad lay critically injured for six hours while her son ran errands before coming home and calling police.

Joseph Conrad, 20, allegedly beat his mother with a bat after she took his keys and phone. He then tried to make it look like there was a home invasion

Mrs. Conrad, 43, suffered a broken nose, fingers, hands and severe facial injuries.

She has also undergone brain surgery to relieve swelling and remains in a critical condition.

Investigators said Conrad attacked his mother after she complained about him failing to clean up the bathroom after shaving.

As a punishment she took away his cell phone and car keys.

Police said Conrad waited until his father left for work from their home in Joliet, Illinois, before lying in wait for his mother with an aluminium baseball bat.

'He said his mother gave "that look" he didn’t like [as they argued],' said Sgt. Joe Egizio.

'She went to take a shower, [Joseph Conrad] watched his father leave for work, went to get an aluminium baseball bat from the garage and waited at the bottom of the stairs as she got dressed and came down.'

Police said Conrad left his critically injured mother to go an run some errands.

On his return he tried to make it look as if an intruder had carried out the attack.

Police said the woman’s pants had been unbuttoned and pulled down, and a window on the home’s northwest side had been broke.

Investigators said Conrad confessed to the carrying out the attack after they found several inconsistencies in his story.

He admitted he had become 'aggravated with his mother over various issues and struck her numerous times to the head with a baseball bat,' said Sgt Egizio.