Woman Faces Attempted Murder Charges For Poisoning Children's Apple Juice

Krystle El Khatib, a resident of Schiller Park, Ill., faces charges of attempted murder for trying to her poison her children, lacing their apple juice with crushed benzodiazepine, reports The Chicago Tribune.

Khatib, who then attempted to take her own life with benzodiazepine and the painkiller Norco, told police that she "wanted all three of them to go to sleep and not wake up."

Khatib crushed the benzodiazepine — commonly used as tranquilizers to treat anxiety or insomnia — and forced her children, a nine year-old boy and four year-old girl, to drink two glasses each. When her son refused, Khatib threatened to hit him.

In court on Thursday, January 15, Khatib was reportedly angry at the children's father for not spending enough time with the family. Authorities later described a text sent to the father which indicated that she wanted the children to "go to heaven."

After Khatib attempted to poison the children last Sunday, her son woke up the next morning, "vomited several times and, after being unable to rouse his mother, texted his father." Both children were taken to the hospital and have since recovered, and are now in their father's custody.