Taguig city: The Supreme Court (SC): has reversed the conviction of a mother with schizophrenia who was found liable by a lower court for the death of her daughter, with the tribunal ordering her treatment in a psychiatric facility.
According to Philippines News Agency, the SC stated that the mother's mental state deprived her of the capacity to recognize the wrongfulness of her act, exempting her from criminal liability. In a decision written by Associate Justice Samuel Gaerlan, the SC's third division granted the mother's appeal and overturned her parricide conviction on the grounds of legal insanity due to schizophrenia.
The tragic incident occurred when the mother jumped off a bridge into a river with her five-year-old daughter. Although a man aboard a styrofoam banca managed to save the mother, he was unable to locate the child. The child's lifeless body was discovered the following day. The mother claimed she was not in her right mind during the incident and could only remember walking with her daughter, with no recollection of the event itself. She stated that she regained consciousness only while floating in the water.
A licensed physician from the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) testified that the mother had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Despite this, the Regional Trial Court (RTC) convicted the mother and sentenced her to reclusion perpetua, or up to 40 years in prison, concluding that she intended to harm her daughter when she jumped off the bridge while embracing her. The Court of Appeals affirmed the RTC's decision.
However, the SC disagreed with the lower courts' findings and ruled that the mother was not criminally liable. The high tribunal determined that her mental condition at the time of the incident prevented her from understanding the nature and wrongfulness of her actions. Consequently, the SC ordered the mother's immediate transfer from the Correctional Institution for Women to the NCMH for her treatment.
Her release will be contingent upon an order from the RTC, based on a recommendation from her attending physician at the hospital.
