Mother gave daughter a knife with which she killed the girl because of family feud on Facebook

Mother gave daughter a knife with which she killed the girl because of family feud on Facebook

Mother gave daughter a knife with which she killed the girl because of family feud on Facebook

According to the Cook County Attorney's Office, a young woman used a knife given to her by her mother to kill a 15-year-old girl due to family feuds on social media. The controversy began on Facebook and escalated into a violent street brawl late last month.

Barbara «Mickey» Clifton's mother argued with her sister on Facebook and allegedly got into a fight on August 26 near Hamilton Park. She also gave her daughter a knife, after which the 19-year-old stabbed Erica Blackhawk to death.

Erica was rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she died. According to prosecutors, Erica was the girlfriend of Clifton's cousin.

Prosecutors said that prior to the murder, Clifton's mother and her sister's family allegedly sent threatening messages to each other after one of Blackhawk's friends blocked Clifton's Facebook Live video. The situation escalated and two days later, on August 26, Clifton's mother began to argue on Facebook with her own sister, who, according to prosecutors, is the mother of Blackhawk's boyfriend.

Clifton's mother invited her sister to sort it out, meeting face to face. Her sister said she would be at her home near Hamilton Park. To which Clifton's mother replied that she «had better not take any weapons or dogs» to their meeting.

At about 7 pm, Clifton's mother drove her daughters and friend to the meeting point. They met the boy's mother Blackhawk with her daughters and Blackhawk herself.

According to eyewitnesses, Clifton's mother «threatened» her sister, approaching her with a knife. But then she gave the weapon to her daughter.

A quarrel broke out between the groups, which escalated into a fight when Clifton's mother hit her sister on the head with a metal object wrapped in a sock.

Erica, who was unarmed, tried to stop the fight. But at that moment Clifton grabbed her by the shoulder and stabbed the girl two or three times in the chest and stomach, the prosecutor's office said.

Erica doubled over in pain and went into the house, where she fainted. Meanwhile, the women continued to fight. According to prosecutors, Clifton's mother and her sister, grappling, began to roll on the ground — and Clifton's mother bit her sister's hand.

The fight ended after the husband of one of the women caught it on the way home from work.

Clifton was arrested Saturday and charged with first degree murder. Her mother was never charged.

Assistant Public Defender James Kozlowski noted that the physical abuse was provoked by Clifton's mother, not her daughter. The lawyer noted that Clifton, who lives with her mother, studied psychology at Indiana Institute of Technology, and has volunteered in the past. She has no criminal record.

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