Why do certain internet websites decide to rerun certain stories. I know that some headlines generate more attention than others and of course the topic piqued my interest. I will not retell the whole story here but I’ll offer a snapshot. Zakieya L. Avery, 28, of maryland was charged with killing two of her four children in 2014. Believing the children to be demon possessed, she and her accomplice who was equally mentally ill, wanted to save them. Here is a link to http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/19/justice/maryland-exorcism-deaths/the for further details.

Yes , her family knew that she had mental health problems and as with most of these tragedies, the law cannot step in unless there is an apparent immediate danger to oneself or others so the only recourse is to wait until it is too late. But I don’t want to rewrite another post hammering out the same issues.

She was charged with first degree murder and attempted murder. The sanity of zakieya is in question. Most prosecution of these types of cases base their argument on the defendant being of sound mind and body because of the forethought and execution of the plan. In some cases, the plan may include concealment of the crime itself. Most people believe that if you can plan a murder or do someone harm while the individual is experiencing psychosis, then this means that they are sane enough to be tried. In our society, we confuse sanity with intelligence. They are not one in the same.

Individuals like Zakieya are rare in that not all people diagnosed with an extreme mental illness will commit acts of murder or suicide. But when tragedies do occur, what should happen to them? I have my own thoughts on this for the next post. Meanwhile, feel free to comment.