☑️ Police say Brick woman told investigators ‘voices’ told her to stab her brother

☑️ The toddler suffered a punctured lung and cardiac wall but survived the stabbing

☑️ Marlene Rodriguez faces an attempted murder charge

BRICK — The woman charged with stabbing her 2-year-old brother with a butcher knife told police she heard voices in her head telling her what to do, investigators said.

Marlene Rodriguez is charged with attempted murder in the attack that almost killed the little boy on Saturday. She was taking care of the toddler while their parents went grocery shopping. The child suffered a punctured lung and cardiac wall, police said.

Investigators said Rodriguez’s sister told police she heard the boy crying and went to check on him. She discovered he was injured and saw the knife next to him. Their cousin came into the room and helped bring him out of the house when an ambulance arrived.

The cousin told police that the 20-year-old suspect had asked if she had ever sacrificed anyone before, investigators said.

Police learned that Rodriguez had previously been hospitalized for mental health issues. She had also used marijuana and other drugs.

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Marlene Rodriguez

Marlene Rodriguez (Ocean County Jail)

‘Voices’ revealed in confession

After being read her rights in both English and Spanish, Rodriguez told investigators that “voices” told her to stab her brother. Rodriguez identified the voices as those of a Puerto Rican family she was acquainted with. When they spoke, she “visually sees what she needs to do,” investigators noted in an affidavit of probable cause.

When detectives asked Rodriguez if she knew what she had done was wrong, she responded in Spanish that a third voice told her to stop talking to the police. The interview was ended by the detectives.

A pretrial detention hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Friday.

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