Judge sets commitment period for mom who killed child
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A woman who slashed her 4-year-old daughter's throat in Bloomingdale can remain involuntarily committed to a secure mental health facility for up to a century, a DuPage County judge ruled Friday.
Marci Webber, 45, of East Nassau, N.Y., was found not guilty of the November 2010 slaying of her daughter Maggie by reason of insanity after a bench trial last month. Judge George Bakalis set a maximum commitment period of 100 years for Webber at a brief hearing Friday, Public Defender Jeff York said. The amount is equal to the maximum prison term she could have received if convicted.
"This was not unexpected," York said.
Webber is in the custody of the Illinois Department of Human Services, which is slated to provide a treatment plan to the court in August. She could eventually be released, but any custody changes would go before a judge for review. York said her health will be evaluated every 60 days going forward.
Bakalis found Webber not guilty after a psychologist testified that she was suffering from paranoid delusions when she slashed her daughter's throat while visiting a relative in Bloomingdale. Webber told investigators she killed the child to protect her from sexual predators and the devil.
