Man Charged With Killing Mom, Believed She Was An Intruder

GENEVA, Ill. (AP) — A northern Illinois college student is facing second-degree murder charges in the beating death of his mother.

Thomas J. Summerwill of Campton Hills was home on spring break when he struck 53-year-old Mary Summerwill with a sports memorabilia, signed baseball bat that was hanging on his wall.

The attorney for the 21-year-old Summerwill says his client may have been suffering jet lag when he thought his mom was an intruder in his second-floor bedroom the morning of March 24. Liam Dixon said the University of Wisconsin student had a great relationship with his mother, has the support of his family and is "devastated."

Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon refused to comment on specifics of the case. However, he said although Summerwill may have believed he was acting in self-defense, his belief was not reasonable because he was under the influence of alcohol. A judge on Tuesday set bail at $300,000 for Summerwill.