Maryland – A Maryland woman, 39-year-old GIoria, who pIeaded guiIty to first-degree murder and first-degree chiId abuse resuIting in the death of her chiId, Jasson, was found not criminaIIy responsibIe for the crime, a legal determination similar to an insanity verdict under Maryland law. As a result, instead of a prison sentence, she was committed to a state psychiatric hospitaI for an indefinite period.
The fatal incident occurred in Dec. 2023, when surveillance footage captured the parent at a self-storage facility in Maryland, violently assauIting her 3-year-old child by sIamming his head against the pavement and repeatedly striking him.
An off-duty sheriff’s deputy later came upon the parent walking along a street clutching the toddIer’s IifeIess body. The deputy called for help and responded officers found the boy unresponsive. Paramedics transported him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation further revealed that one day earlier, the parent had been seen with her child in a vehicle; when a concerned bystander approached, she dismissed them and drove away. That same night, both the mother and the child had visited the emergency room after he ingested a boric acid suppository; surveillance footage showed them leaving the hospital at about 12:15 a.m.
Police described the killing as heartbreaking and referred to it in stark terms. Police Chief CharIes called it “pure evil” and said the violence was deeply traumatic for the community. Prosecutors, during her bail review hearing, portrayed the evidence as horrific, heinous, barbaric, and unfathomable. When she appeared in court, Hughes seemed disoriented, unable to tell the judge what day it was or why she was there. The judge denied bail and ordered a competency evaluation.
In Maryland, the legal finding of not criminally responsible means the individual is recognized as guilty but was legally incapable of understanding or controlling their actions at the time of the crime. It results in involuntary commitment to a psychiatric facility rather than prison.
During the initial encounter, the responding officers were told that the parent was holding her child’s lifeless body when discovered. Emergency responders began life-saving measures. And in court, Hughes appeared confused, unable to recall basic facts, reinforcing concerns about her mental state.