Content warning: This article contains content that readers may find disturbing. Please read with caution. A Texas woman accused of murdering her grandmother said she was suffering from psychosis when she beat the victim with a hammer. Now, a San Antonio judge is deciding her fate. Closing arguments in the murder trial of Tamera Laws, 28, ended on Friday, Jan.
Psychotic delusions drove Laws to choke her grandmother, Doris Ruth Novella, 70, stab her and then beat her with a hammer on Feb. Prosecutors alleged that Laws' admitted methamphetamine use led her to kill her grandmother, News4SA reports. Evidence shows that "the defendant's acts were attributed to her drug use, specifically methamphetamine, which is voluntary and disqualifies her from being able to assert the insanity defense," the prosecutor argued.
Laws grew so emotional during cross-examination that the judge gave her two five-minute breaks, News4SA reports. Explaining why she struck her grandmother with a hammer, she said, "I thought the [bad] energy was on me, so I was thinking to get it off, I had to beat it out," News4SA reports.
She said no twice before Cantrell asked her, "Did you know at the time what you were doing was wrong? Laws said she began hearing voices after she became addicted to meth, the San Antonio Express-News reports. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? She told her attorney that in her delusional state she believed that her father told her to kill her grandmother. Laws expressed remorse for killing her grandmother and not getting help. If Laws is found not guilty by reason of insanity, she will be committed to a state hospital for an extended period, News4SA reports.
Crime Crime News Homicides. By KC Baker. KC Baker. People Editorial Guidelines. All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Related Articles. Newsletter Sign Up.
