Naperville mom faces sentencing next month for murder of two children
Elzbieta Plackowska already knows she will live the rest of her life behind bars, but a DuPage County judge will make it official on Dec. 15.
The Naperville mother was convicted in late September of 10 counts of first-degree murder and two counts of animal cruelty. The conviction comes with a mandatory life sentence.
Judge Robert Miller will first hear a motion for a new trial, filed by Plackowska's attorneys. But if that motion is denied, Miller will hand down the sentence.
At the conclusion of her bench trial, Miller said he believed Plackowska fully understood the wrongfulness of her actions on Oct. 30, 2012, when she stabbed her 7-year-old son, Justin Plackowska, 173 times and 5-year-old Olivia Dworakowski, whom she was baby-sitting, 94 times.
Plackowska's attorneys argued she suffered from a bipolar disorder and was in the midst of a psychotic episode at the time of the killings. In their first motion for a new trial, they said the court erred in rejecting Plackowska's insanity defense.
Deputy Chief Public Defender George Ford said Tuesday that he expects to file an amended motion for a new trial prior to the Dec 15 date.