Thousands of people here in Texas and across the country suffer from a variety of mental health issues. Those issues make their lives challenging, and some of them might even become violent. The question is whether they should be incarcerated or given the help they need. This question could play a significant role in a case involving a mother facing a capital murder charge.
Reports indicate that the woman’s father-in-law watched her take a knife from the kitchen and head toward the bedrooms. He then heard the screams of his 5-year-old granddaughter. When the mother returned to the kitchen, he claims she began stabbing him as he attempted to disarm her.
When police arrived at the home, they found the 58-year-old man in the driveway in possession of a 10-inch knife. He told officers that the 24-year-old mother was still in the house with his granddaughter. She was getting out of the shower when officers confronted her. Officers found the lifeless body of her daughter in one of the Texas home’s bedrooms. Police took her into custody, and she now faces charges for murder and aggravated assault.
Reports indicate that the woman suffers from bipolar disorder, ADHD and schizophrenia, along with a problem with drugs. As the criminal proceedings move forward, her mental health issues could take a prominent role in relation to the capital murder charge in particular. Further investigation by her criminal defense team will more than likely explore these issues, along with the evidence prosecutors intend to present as evidence to the court and her father-in-law’s statements regarding what happened in that home.
Source: insideedition.com, “Mom Charged With Capital Murder After Allegedly Stabbing 5-Year-Old Daughter to Death“, Maya Chung, Jan. 7, 2017
