People v. Greer CA3

BACKGROUND

In February 2000 defendant, responding to command hallucinations, killed her three-month old daughter by smothering her with a pillow and then attempted to kill herself by driving her car into a pole. Defendant had stopped taking her medications shortly after becoming pregnant and stopped seeing her therapist. At the time of the crime, Dr. Kent Caruso evaluated defendant and diagnosed her as schizophrenic. Dr. Caruso reported defendant suffered from hallucinations and paranoia. He attributed her murder of her child and attempted suicide to a “perfect storm” of college, family problems, relationship difficulties, stress from having to care for her child and hormonal and chemical imbalances. Defendant was acquitted of murder by reason of insanity and committed to the California Department of State Hospitals. In 2003, defendant transferred to Napa State Hospital (Napa). In September 2011, defendant filed a petition requesting a transfer from Napa to outpatient care under section 1026.2 as the first step in a restoration of sanity proceeding. Defendant’s history at Napa demonstrated numerous periods of aggressive, inappropriate behavior, and destabilization. In 2007,…