Lawyer: Let Mother Who Killed Infant See Her Other Kids

A criminal review board in Manitoba, Canada, is wrestling with a thorny question: Should a woman who fatally stabbed her infant, but was found not criminally responsible because of mental illness, be allowed to see her other young children? As the CBC reports, a lawyer for the unidentified woman—who remains hospitalized in a psychiatric unit—made the case to the board that supervised visits would help her recovery. "I say now is the time, when we have this controlled environment with these experts who are there to help her, to help the family … to start that process," said Carley Mahoney at a hearing on Monday.

The woman, a member of the Wasagamack Anisininew Nation, was 26 when she killed her child while in a temporary home secured for the homeless family by Child and Family Services, per the Winnipeg Free Press. She told authorities later she feared the child would be harmed by staffers and wanted to keep him safe. The woman was subsequently diagnosed with schizophrenia, and her lawyer and a psychiatrist treating her says she has stabilized with medication. The board is expected to issue its decision on visitation this week.