Police: Nantucket Mom Charged In Child's Death Said She Heard God
NANTUCKET (AP) - Police say a Nantucket woman accused of killing her 3-year-old daughter told a priest and hospital officials that God told her to push a rose down the girl's throat to ward off the devil.
Documents filed in Nantucket District Court said 26-year-old Dora Alicia Tejada Pleitez said she realized that the "rose" was her fist and the devil bit her through the child.
Tejada Pleitez was held without bail pending a competency hearing after pleading not guilty Tuesday.
Police say emergency personnel responded to the family home Monday after getting a 911 call reporting that the little girl had stopped breathing.
The child, Nicole Garcia, was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Tejada Pleitez's lawyer says her mental state will play a "critical role" in the case.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)