A Florida mother has been found not guilty by reason of insanity in the death of her 15-month-old daughter, in a case her attorneys described as first-of-its-kind. Precious Bland, who had admitted to killing the baby, was cleared of criminal responsibility after a judge concluded that she was not in her right state of mind at the time of the killing.
The judge agreed with the defense's argument that Bland was experiencing a psychotic break linked to COVID at the time she killed her daughter. That finding was central to the outcome, with the court accepting that her mental state, rather than criminal intent, lay behind what happened in the case.
According to what was presented in court, Bland drowned her baby daughter and then stabbed her husband and her eldest daughter. The killing of the 15-month-old became the centerpiece of the case, which played out at the Miami courthouse and drew close attention as the verdict approached.
The decision came after a two-day bench trial, in which a judge rather than a jury decided the outcome. On count one, aggravated manslaughter, the defendant was found not guilty by reason of insanity. On two further counts of attempted first-degree murder, she was likewise found not guilty by reason of insanity.
The ruling drew a powerful reaction inside the courtroom. There was an audible gasp and then a cry from Bland as the judge delivered the decision, and tears filled the room. Bland had admitted to killing her baby daughter, but the court found that she could not be held criminally responsible for what she had done.
Moments after learning she would not be convicted, Bland spoke briefly outside the courtroom. She said God is good, adding that the outcome did not bring back her daughter and repeating that she loved her children. The case, which her lawyers framed as unprecedented, now stands as an unusual instance of a COVID-related insanity defense being accepted by a court.