Capital murder trial begins for Irving mother accused of killing daughters
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The capital murder trial for Irving mother Madison McDonald, who police said admitted killing her daughters, began on April 12.
McDonald is facing two capital murder charges in the deaths of 1-year-old Lillian Mae McDonald and 6-year-old Archer Hammond.
In April of 2021, McDonald walked into the lobby of the Irving Police Department, then called and said she had sedated her daughters, tucked them into bed and smothered them.
Spokesperson for the department, Robert Reeves told CBSNewsTexas at the time, McDonald's demeanor was "calm" as she alleged her children were "being abused," and she would do anything to protect her daughters, including "eliminating them."
Day two of testimony turned emotional, according to CBSNewsTexas reporter Robbie Owens, who said the girl's fathers took the stand.
"I remember the time I got the call very early Monday morning from her mother... telling me that she'd killed the girls," said Archer's father Tim Hammond.
Hammond told jurors that he believed the then 30-year-old mother of his children was "a good mom" and that he never worried about Archer's safety while with her.
Then in the fall of 2020, McDonald was involuntarily hospitalized to receive treatment for her mental health struggles. Hammond testified that he began to notice that she was becoming more paranoid and began to claim that the girls were being abused.
Police and Child Protective Services investigated, but never substantiated those claims.
McDonald also made accusations against Lillian's father, Christopher McDonald, who told jurors that when the pandemic hit, his relationship with his child's mother was strained as she acted more delusional.
"I was accused of sexually assaulting her in the middle of the night; crawling through the ceiling or something," said McDonald. "She was making accusations against her mom, Archer's dad... lots of stuff."
Defense attorneys are blaming mental illness for the children's deaths. McDonald has entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.