Dearborn Heights Man Accused In Mother's Death: Prosecutor

DEARBORN, MI — A Dearborn Heights man who was about a month into a three-year probation sentence for assaulting his mother has once again been arrested, this time in the strangulation death of his mother — a woman who had just a month prior championed his release from jail, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.

Aaron Samir Akel, 45, is charged with one count of first-degree murder. He was arraigned Thursday in 20th District Court.

Akel had been released from police custody on April 7, when he was sentenced to three years probation, including 157 days of jail credit, for a slew of assault charges against his mother, 73-year-old Ibtisam Field of Dearborn Heights.

“This is what we all fear in domestic violence cases," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Thursday. "The assistant prosecutor appeared in court many times in this case. The defendant served his jail time and we worked with Mrs. Field with great care to craft a sentence that she supported to enable her son to get the help he needed.

"Very unfortunately, he refused to take advantage of the offered help."

Dearborn Heights police were called to a home in the 5360 block of Pardee Avenue in Dearborn Heights around 4:40 a.m. Tuesday, where they found Field's body in one of the home's bedrooms, prosecutors said. Medics arrived at the scene and determined Field had been strangled to death, according to prosecutors.

Akel was arrested at the scene, prosecutors said.

In November 2020, he had been arrested and charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm and misdemeanor domestic violence arising out of an incident involving his mother. In March, he pleaded guilty to assault with intent to do great bodily harm.

When Akel was sentenced in April, Fields asked that he be released from custody, prosecutors said. She told the court that she wanted her son to receive drug and mental health treatment and that she would like to have contact with him again.

Judge Noah Hood ordered that there be no contact with the victim and also ordered that Akel receive treatment at a facility.

Defendant Akel was released and did not call the probation agent as directed by the court, prosecutors said. The probation agent was able to track the defendant down and refer him to a facility, but he failed to report, according to prosecutors.