Daycare worker who drowned 2 kids to ‘destroy evil’ found not guilty of murder

According to reports, a woman from New Jersey who was charged with drowning her two young children and claimed to have done so for “religious purposes” was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Police in Lakewood responded to complaints that two young children, ages one and three, were experiencing cardiac arrest on June 25, 2024. After being suspected of killing the children, their mother, 27-year-old Naomi Elkins, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, according to a prior statement from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

During Elkins’ trial on Tuesday, April 1, psychologist Gianni Pirelli testified that the suspect believed that if she “destroyed her children, she would be destroying all the evil in the world,” according to the Asbury Park Press, a local publication.

According to the publication and NBC10 Philadelphia, the judge ruled that even though Elkins killed her children, she was not guilty due to insanity. According to Asbury Park Press, Elkins was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan to serve two lifetimes in a secure mental health facility, which is equivalent to 75 years in state law.

“Counting to 50 several times,” the outlet said, Ryan informed the court, “the suspect had stabbed her younger child in the stomach and then held her underwater for two or three minutes.”

Elkins “climbed on top of her and held her down while the bathtub filled up” in a second bathroom after her other daughter fled to hide, the site continued, quoting the court. Then, believing the child might still be alive despite stopping “fighting,” Elkins called the Hatzolah ambulance service,” the outlet said.

Elkins said on the phone, “I did something to my kids,” and “They’re drowning,” according to the source, which cited the court. According to the Asbury Park Press, psychologist Pirelli stated that he examined medical records and data from first responders and officials at the Ocean County Jail, as well as conducting an 11-hour interview with the suspect over four sessions last year.

Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sports and entertainment stories

Elkins was “experiencing a psychotic episode when she killed her children and did not understand that her actions were wrong,” Pirelli concluded. Elkins has a history of mental illness, according to NBC10 Philadelphia, which cited her defense lawyers.

According to the Asbury Park Press, which cited several officials, Elkins was characterized as “emotionless” following the murders. Pirelli testified that the suspect believed she or her husband, who was on a business trip out of town at the time of the murders, were the Messiah. According to the psychologist, Elkins’ mental health didn’t settle after she experienced postpartum psychosis following the birth of her two children.