Mom Accused Of Drowning Kids Will Not Face Trial
Woman Said Sign From Spider Told Her To Kill Kids
UPDATED: 1:03 pm EST January 4,
2005
LAMAR, Colo. -- A Colorado mother accused of drowning her two young children will not stand trial.
Rebekah Amaya, 32, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder but wanted to plead not guilty by reason of insanity.Lamar investigators said she drowned her 4-year-old daughter, Grace Headlee, and 5-month-old son, Gabriel Amaya, in the family bathtub on Oct. 16, 2003. Amaya said she drowned the children after receiving a sign from a spider.One psychiatrist has found that Amaya was insane at the time. Prosecutors requested a second evaluation and after consulting that psychiatrist, they told the court that they will not be able to prove Amaya was sane when she allegedly committed the crime.According to the court clerk, they agreed to drop the trial in exchange for Amaya admitting to the crime.Exact details of the deal have not yet been released.Amaya will be sentenced on Jan. 31. Family members will be allowed to address the court prior to sentencing but the statements shall have no effect on the sentencing, said Rose Ann Yates, a clerk for the district court in Prowers County.It is not known if Amaya's husband, Leo Amaya, and ex-husband, Mark Headlee, will appear in court at that time.Amaya told officers she killed the children but gave differing accounts of events leading up to the drownings. Her attorney, Tad Overturf, has said her rambling, convoluted answers to police showed she was not of sound mind.
Rebekah Amaya, 32, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder but wanted to plead not guilty by reason of insanity.Lamar investigators said she drowned her 4-year-old daughter, Grace Headlee, and 5-month-old son, Gabriel Amaya, in the family bathtub on Oct. 16, 2003. Amaya said she drowned the children after receiving a sign from a spider.One psychiatrist has found that Amaya was insane at the time. Prosecutors requested a second evaluation and after consulting that psychiatrist, they told the court that they will not be able to prove Amaya was sane when she allegedly committed the crime.According to the court clerk, they agreed to drop the trial in exchange for Amaya admitting to the crime.Exact details of the deal have not yet been released.Amaya will be sentenced on Jan. 31. Family members will be allowed to address the court prior to sentencing but the statements shall have no effect on the sentencing, said Rose Ann Yates, a clerk for the district court in Prowers County.It is not known if Amaya's husband, Leo Amaya, and ex-husband, Mark Headlee, will appear in court at that time.Amaya told officers she killed the children but gave differing accounts of events leading up to the drownings. Her attorney, Tad Overturf, has said her rambling, convoluted answers to police showed she was not of sound mind.Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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