Hart pleads guilty to stabbing death of his mother

Dec. 18—ANDERSON — An Anderson man entered a plea of guilty for the stabbing death of his mother in 2022.

Jiam Adonimani Hart, 29, 1600 block of Meridian Street, entered the plea of guilty Monday in Madison Circuit Court Division 1.

Judge Angela Warner Sims sentenced Hart to serve a prison term of 55 years as a result of a plea agreement.

The state's case was presented by deputy prosecutor Jen Haley. Detective C.J. Christian with the Anderson Police Department was the investigator.

Hart was arrested on Aug. 26, 2022, on a charge of murder for the stabbing death of his mother, Patty Hart, 49.

Patty Hart died as a result of multiple stab wounds to the back, an autopsy determined.

A probable cause affidavit states that Hart's daughter Jireh attempted to contact her mother by telephone and when there was no answer, she knew something was wrong.

According to Janet's daughter, Jiam and his mother had been arguing over food and other issues the night before she was found dead.

Jireh Hart went to her mother's home and found the door open and, upon entering, found Janet Hart on the floor dead with multiple stab wounds to the back.

The court document said officers were familiar with the residence as a result of previous calls and located Jiam Hart in the 1300 block of Lincoln Street. He was taken into custody with his mother's credit card in his possession.

Jireh Hart told investigators that on Sunday she received a text from her mother that Jiam was acting like a fool and a subsequent text stated he was yelling and spitting on his mother.

After obtaining a search warrant, investigators found on the kitchen table a petition filed by Janet Hart that her son be placed in a group home. It stated that he was physically aggressive toward Hart and was suffering from hallucinations, paranoia and delusions.

During an interview with police, Jiam Hart said his mother kicked him out of the house and that because he doesn't live there, he is not her son.

"Did you stab your mom?" a detective asked Jiam Hart.

"You solved it, Mr. (Chris) Christian," Hart responded. "What else do you want me to say?"

Editor's note: This article has been modified from its original version to reflect Hart's accurate age.

Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.