Bizarre attack leaves 5-year-old clinging to life His mom is charged with attempted capital murder, accused of slashing his throat

Michael Spurlock, 5, of Magnolia, was in critical condition on Saturday. His mother, Daphne, 45, remains jailed. Michael Spurlock, 5, of Magnolia, was in critical condition on Saturday. His mother, Daphne, 45, remains jailed. Photo: family photo Photo: family photo Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Bizarre attack leaves 5-year-old clinging to life 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Strange voices may have prompted a Magnolia woman to slit her 5-year-old son's throat and to crush his chest early Saturday, leaving the little boy clinging to life, police and relatives said.

"I can't put it together yet," David Spurlock, 59, said by phone from Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital, where his son, Michael, was in critical condition after undergoing surgery.

His wife, Daphne Spurlock, 45, was in the Montgomery County Jail on Saturday, charged with attempted capital murder after she allegedly attacked her son around midnight at the family's Magnolia home in the 100 block of Roy.

Although questioned by Magnolia police, David Spurlock was not home at the time of the attack and said he was still trying to understand what happened.

He described his wife of seven years as a devout Christian who would have never harmed her own son. In recent days, however, her behavior had begun to change, he said.

"She thought the voices were Jesus," David Spurlock said. "She started cussing a week ago. That was not like her at all."

Spurlock said he had been told that his wife not only cut their son's throat but also stomped on his chest to release demons.

Gwen Carter, spokeswoman for Child Protective Services, said the agency had begun investigating the incident. The family appeared to have no previous history with CPS, she said.

On her Facebook page, Daphne Spurlock describes herself as a "born again Christian," and her Twitter posts, which stopped in November, frequently talked about God.

On Nov. 23, she posted, "Can someone please help me find a christian book writer to help me write book?" That same day, in her most recent tweet, she thanked Joyce Meyer, a widely followed Christian author and speaker, for "letting the good Lord lead and guide you."

According to her online information, Spurlock is or has been a distributor for a company that markets health and nutritional products and garments.

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