Detective: Father Called 12-Year-Old's Death a Mercy Killing

A Lilburn father who slit the throat of his 12-year-old son with cerebral palsy called the act a mercy killing, a police detective said Wednesday in Gwinnett County magistrate court.

The Gwinnett Daily Post has details of the hard-to-handle testimony in Thursday’s edition.

Lt. Chris Dusik, of the Lilburn Police Department, testified that Hakan Erdem, a Sweetwater Middle School student, often screamed uncontrollably, had trouble communicating and had to wear diapers due to his condition.

Fikri Erdem, 47, said he hadn’t slept well for 10 days due to the child’s screaming when he cut Hakan’s throat with a kitchen knife on Nov. 16. according to the testimony.

“He said he didn’t want him to live like that anymore,” Dusik said, according to the Daily Post.

Not wanting to live without his son, the father then attempted suicide, Dusik testified.

Erdem, a native of Turkey, faces murder charges. He is being held without bond. His attorney offered no conflicting argument at Wednesday’s hearing, the Post reported.

According to Dusik, Fikri Erdem drove Hakan to the parking lot of First Baptist Church in Lilburn -- a spot he selected at random. After calling his wife to apologize, he slit Hakan’s throat, then cut his own neck, wrist and abdomen.

Dusik said Erdem also called 911, not in hopes of being saved, but thinking he was letting authorities know where the two bodies could be found. He was losing large amounts of blood when rescuers arrived and likely would have died otherwise, Dusik testified.

Chief Magistrate Judge Kristina Blum found probable cause for the case against Erdem to continue.