KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — Lisa Babin, who regularly attended and spoke at Katy Independent School District board meetings, has died following an alleged beating by her 24-year-old son, who Harris County authorities say used a hammer in the attack.
The Harris County Institute for Forensic Sciences confirmed to Covering Katy News that Babin, who turned 62 while hospitalized, died at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston's Medical Center on June 20, nine days after the June 11 assault in unincorporated Katy.
Robert Babin remains in Harris County Jail on $150,000 bond. He was originally charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but charges could be upgraded following his mother's death from her injuries.
Court records say the deadly attack occurred at their shared home on Holly Way Lane, in a Harris County neighborhood off Barker Cypress Road north of Morton Road. Lisa Babin was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital for emergency treatment of severe head injuries.
Harris County Sheriff's Office investigators reportedly said Robert Babin sent confession messages to a friend about the hammer attack. The friend discovered the messages on a gaming app and contacted authorities.
The confession message said: "I am in trouble and I need your help. I just assaulted my mother with a hammer, I got angry, I don't know what to do, I can't go to prison. I have to get rid of the hammer and destroy the evidence before the police get there. I don't want to end up on Death Row. I hit her a few times on the head and the side. She's barely breathing."
Harris County deputies found Lisa Babin bleeding in the backyard of the Katy-area home. Her head injuries were so severe she couldn't speak to investigators, according to published reports.
Court records state Robert Babin "unlawfully, intentionally and knowingly caused bodily injury to Lisa Babin" by "striking her on the side of the head with a hammer."
Investigators reportedly said Robert Babin told them he had left his mother napping while he went to the store. He expressed confusion about the police presence when he returned and repeatedly claimed he didn't know what had happened, according to Harris County Sheriff's Office reports.
Babin's court-appointed attorney argued for a $30,000 bond at his initial hearing, noting his lack of criminal history and describing him as a "high-functioning person with autism."
According to court records obtained by Covering Katy News, Babin will undergo psychological evaluation for mental illness or intellectual disabilities.