Kansas City mom accused of killing 6-year-old son deemed fit to stand trial

By Connor Hills

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — A murder trial is set to move forward for a Kansas City woman accused of killing her young son and a dog in 2022 after a judge granted a motion deeming her mentally competent.

The move overturns a previous court ruling that determined Tasha Haefs was not capable of standing trial.

Haefs was arrested and charged in 2022 with decapitating her 6-year-old son. That case will now move forward after a motion granted by Judge Jerri Zhang on Friday, April 19, in the 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County.

Haefs is charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of her son, Karvel Stevens. Haefs is accused of killing and decapitating Karvel, in addition to a dog, found inside a home in the 7300 block of Indiana Avenue on Feb. 15, 2022.

Police showed up at the home after a woman told a 911 dispatcher the devil was trying to attack her, according to court documents.

Those documents said officers arrived and found what appeared to be blood on the front steps of the home. Officers at the scene found Haefs inside after she initially refused to answer the door.

Officers also saw what appeared to be a severed head inside the home’s entrance.

Haefs was committed to the Missouri Department of Mental Health for at least six months after she was initially determined to be mentally incompetent.

Court documents indicated that the mother told detectives the body belonged to her son and admitted to killing him. Prosecutors claim she has previously struggled with drug addiction, depression, trauma and hallucinations.

The next hearing in the case is set for Monday, April 29, 2024.

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