Woman Charged In Exorcism Deaths To Claim Insanity
ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) -- The lawyer for a woman charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing of two children during an exorcism says he will mount a defense that she is not criminally responsible.
David Felsen, a lawyer for 21-year-old Monifa Sanford, said in court Friday that he will pursue Maryland's equivalent of an insanity defense. The Washington Post reports that Sanford's trial is scheduled for August.
Sanford and 28-year-old Zakieya Avery are charged with murder in the deaths of Avery's two toddlers in January in a home in Germantown. Two of Avery's other children were injured in the attack.
Under Maryland law, a person can be found to be not criminally responsible if they didn't understand what they were doing was wrong.
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Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com
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