PHOENIX -- A Tempe woman accused of killing her teenage son as he slept has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge.

Cynthia A. Hernandez is accused of placing a towel over the head of her sleeping son on Feb. 15 and shooting him in the head above his left eye with a rifle at point-blank range.

Jeremy Barragan, 14, was found dead the next morning by his father.The Maricopa County Attorney's Office said Friday the 45-year-old Hernandez remains jailed on $250,000 bond. Her arraignment is set for Wednesday.Hernandez had gone four nights without sleep, and was on alcohol, marijuana, and mood-altering medications the night of the shooting, a court document said.The document also said Hernandez admitted to shooting her son, but told police she believed he was still alive and that the dead boy must be a "lookalike."Hernandez had no recollection of the shooting when she was arrested, said family member Joseph Lupear. He said Hernandez broke down when she realized what had happened.Hernandez and Leonard Barragan, her common law husband, moved to Tempe with their son from San Antonio, Texas, about eight months ago.Lupear said the family was very happy and Hernandez was very protective of her son."Our office continues to see far too many cases of what I call 'household homicides,'" said Maricopa County attorney Andrew Thomas.






-- Edited by RiddimRyder at 13:16, 2008-03-01