Elly Rivera: She is being held in lieu of bail after allegedly choking her daughter Sunday night

Mother charged with trying to kill 3-year-old girl

Voices in her head led Elly Rivera to choke her 3-year-old daughter, according to court documents filed yesterday.

Rivera, 26, was charged yesterday with attempted second-degree murder after her daughter was hospitalized in critical condition Sunday night.

Shortly before 10:25 p.m. Sunday, Rivera's son ran down the stairs, yelling that the child was "not doing good," records say.

Jesse Rivera, the father, asked what happened. His son replied that his mother did something to the baby.

The mother was found crying in the bathroom and asked her husband to check whether the child was breathing.

The husband asked Rivera what happened, but she did not answer his question, court documents state. The girl's face was red and her lips were dry and pale, and she was breathing quickly with occasional convulsions.

The son later said the mother tried to choke the baby. The mother later said the voices were telling her that they were going to burn and kill the children, and she didn't want the children to suffer, court documents state.

Emergency medical officials went to the home on Hooper Place at Hickam Air Force Base at 10:25 p.m.

After the husband called for help, Rivera continuously repeated that the voices would kill and burn the children, and that she did not want them to suffer.

The toddler was taken to Kaiser Medical Center in critical condition. Rivera was arrested on suspicion of attempted second-degree murder. She is being held in lieu of $150,000 bail.