2008 Woodie Awards
Chicago woman accused of drowning children unfit for trial
Issue date: 10/2/06 Section: News Briefs
- Page 1 of 1
A woman accused of drowning her two young children was ordered held in a state mental hospital Monday after a judge ruled she was unfit for trial.
Cook County Judge Dennis Dernbach ordered Abby Grason, 25, of Chicago, confined to a state psychiatric hospital for a year. At the end of that period she must return to court to determine if she is fit to be tried, the Chicago Tribune reported on its Web site.
Grason is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated arson in connection with the June 21, 2004, deaths of her children.
Authorities have said Grason told investigators she killed 2-year-old Isaac Younan and 3-year-old Sandra Younan because she thought they would not have a good life with her.
Firefighters found the children unresponsive in a bathroom after they extinguished a fire in the family's home.
Grason allegedly started the fire by putting two aerosol cans in a microwave. She then went upstairs to the bathroom and drowned the children, authorities said.
Assistant State's Attorney Andrew Dalkin read a letter written by Matthew Markos, director of forensic clinical services for Cook County, during the hearing Monday.
Markos said in the letter that Grason was unfit for trial and unable to assist in her defense. He said she was bipolar and suffered from psychotic paranoid delusions and psychotic affective disorder.
Grason had a history of mental illness before the drownings. She also had been investigated for alleged child abuse and neglect by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
Cook County Judge Dennis Dernbach ordered Abby Grason, 25, of Chicago, confined to a state psychiatric hospital for a year. At the end of that period she must return to court to determine if she is fit to be tried, the Chicago Tribune reported on its Web site.
Grason is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated arson in connection with the June 21, 2004, deaths of her children.
Authorities have said Grason told investigators she killed 2-year-old Isaac Younan and 3-year-old Sandra Younan because she thought they would not have a good life with her.
Firefighters found the children unresponsive in a bathroom after they extinguished a fire in the family's home.
Grason allegedly started the fire by putting two aerosol cans in a microwave. She then went upstairs to the bathroom and drowned the children, authorities said.
Assistant State's Attorney Andrew Dalkin read a letter written by Matthew Markos, director of forensic clinical services for Cook County, during the hearing Monday.
Markos said in the letter that Grason was unfit for trial and unable to assist in her defense. He said she was bipolar and suffered from psychotic paranoid delusions and psychotic affective disorder.
Grason had a history of mental illness before the drownings. She also had been investigated for alleged child abuse and neglect by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
Be the first to comment on this story