Maryland woman accused of killing children has murder trial delayed until 2027

The murder trial for Catherine Hoggle, the Maryland woman accused of killing her two children whose bodies have never been found, has been delayed until October 2027.

The trial had been scheduled to begin next month.

Hoggle is accused of killing her two children, 3-year-old Sarah and 2-year-old Jacob Hoggle, in 2014. Their bodies have never been found.  

It took several years for Hoggle to be ruled competent to stand trial in Montgomery County.

The children's father, Troy Turner, reported the children and Hoggle missing in September 2014. Hoggle was found days later in a nearby town. Police said she refused to tell them where the children were.

Hoggle was initially arrested and charged with neglect and abduction, both misdemeanors. She was sent to a state-run psychiatric hospital for treatment.

In 2017, Hoggle was indicted on murder charges, but a judge ruled she was incompetent to stand trial and ordered continuing court-ordered treatment.  

In October 2025, a judge ruled that Hoggle was competent to stand trial.

In August, Hoggle's public defenders asked the court to allow her to enter a Not Criminally Responsible plea, Maryland's equivalent of an insanity plea. A judge then ordered a mental health evaluation.

Hoggle's attorney, David Felsen, has long said she suffers from severe mental illness. Hoggle has a history of schizophrenia and was treated with antipsychotic medications following her arrest.

Hoggle was released from the state-run psychiatric hospital in July 2025, just weeks before she was rearrested on two counts of first-degree murder. She was ordered to remain at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital in Jessup, Maryland.