Lombard woman not guilty by reason of insanity in murder of husband
A Lombard woman was found not guilty by reason of insanity Friday in the murder of her husband in January.
A judge concurred with a psychologist's evaluation that Anka Miscevic had delusional thoughts and was paranoid at the time she killed her husband, Zeljko, whom she believed was intent on killing her and their son.
Appearing in court in a blue prison jumpsuit and aided by a Serbian interpreter, Miscevic, 49, told DuPage County Judge Liam Brennan during her bench trial she is taking two medications to treat her mental illness.
"Every day I'm feeling more like my old self," she said.
Prosecutors said Miscevic was armed with a knife and a baseball bat on Jan. 8 when she entered the bedroom of her home on Hammerschmidt Avenue in Lombard and stabbed her husband once in the chest. He removed the knife and attempted to call 911 when she struck him in the head with the bat.
Dr. John Murray, a clinical psychologist who evaluated Miscevic, testified Friday that after a review of medical records and police reports, as well as interviews with Miscevic, he concluded she had paranoid thinking that "was pervasive and never stopped."
Murray said Miscevic believed her husband was a secret agent who was planning to kill her and her son - a plot that involved the CIA, FBI and Italian Mafia. She contacted police 13 times between 2009 and 2013 about her husband and others she believed were conspiring to harm her.
Miscevic underwent four psychiatric hospital evaluations between 2011 and 2013, and she was diagnosed with delusional disorder. She was given medication but took it inconsistently, Murray said.
Even after her husband's murder, she said during a court appearance she thought her husband was alive.
Friends and family interviewed by police said they observed a change in Miscevic's mental state in the past four years and that she had a psychiatric problem, though she wasn't taking her medication.
"She would reach the criteria for insanity," Murray said. "She was extremely delusional and paranoid."
Miscevic had previously been declared unfit for trial and sent to the Elgin Mental Health Center for treatment. Murray said Miscevic's mental state has improved, though still believes she is mentally ill.
Miscevic was remanded to the Illinois Department of Human Services for further mental evaluation and is expected to report back to the court by June 30 about possible future treatment.