A mother from New Jersey who drowned her young children last year in order to eliminate “all the evil in the world” — claiming it was for “religious reasons” — has been acquitted due to insanity.
Naomi Elkins, aged 27, faced charges for the deaths of her 1-year-old and 3-year-old daughters, whom she drowned in the bathtub of her Lakewood, New Jersey home on June 25.
Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan recently decided that Elkins did commit the act of killing her children, but the ruling of not guilty by reason of insanity was given, as reported by the Asbury Park Press. The judge’s sentence included Elkins being mandated to a secure mental institution for two lifetimes, one for each child she took.
This means she was sentenced to a total of 150 years in a psychiatric hospital, as each life term of commitment equates to 75 years under state law.
“She thought that if she destroyed her children, she would be destroying all the evil in the world,” psychologist Gianni Pirelli testified. (iStock)
The letter adds: “I put me before my kids. How could a Jewish mother do that? How? How is it possible?”
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said his office could not dispute the determination that Elkins was legally insane when she killed her children.
“Based on our review of the facts and circumstances, in combination with the expert psychiatric report and testimony, the State agrees with this finding,” Billhimer said. “It’s not even a close call.”
Elkins’ mental health will be evaluated periodically by the court, and she will remain in a psychiatric institution unless she reaches a point when she is no longer considered a danger to herself or others, Defense attorney Mitchell Ansell said.
