By Jerald Jimenez
04 Sep 2024, 15:32 PM EDT
An American woman has been formally charged with attempted murder with aggravated hate crime following an incident in which she attempted to drown a 3-year-old Palestinian-American girl and assault her 6-year-old brother in a residential complex’s swimming pool.
A Tarrant County grand jury determined that Elizabeth Wolf, 42, who was arrested in May, acted out of bias toward Muslims and people of Middle Eastern descent. The ruling, issued last month, could increase Wolf’s sentence if she is found guilty.
The police report from Wolf’s May 19 arrest says the woman, apparently under the influence of alcohol, approached the children’s mother, who was wearing a hijab and with them at the pool at the apartment complex in Euless, outside Houston. Wolf questioned the mother about her background before attacking the children.
She first scratched the 6-year-old boy and, when the mother went to help him, she threw the 3-year-old girl into the water. Fortunately, the mother managed to get her daughter out of the pool, thus avoiding further damage.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has been supporting the victims’ families, requested from the beginning of the case that the hate crime aggravating factor be applied to Wolf. This organization has been fundamental in bringing visibility to the case and in the search for justice for the affected family.
Following her arrest, Wolf was released on $40,000 bail. However, the court revised the amount and increased it to $1 million, resulting in her being sent back to prison.
With information from EFE