Jennifer Bigham decided to drown her daughter

[Dakota]

Police arrested a Castro Valley woman early Friday, Jan. 15, on suspicion of killing her 3-year-old daughter in Patterson the night before.

Jennifer Bigham, 23, is suspected of drowning her daughter, Alexandrea, in a bathtub in a home on the 400 block of Thrush Drive, according to Captain Tim David of the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department.

The mother was treated at a Modesto hospital for superficial, self-inflicted stab wounds to her chest Thursday night, then was released into custody shortly after midnight on Friday. Bigham was uncooperative with investigators, David said, and was then booked into county jail on suspicion of murder.

Bigham and her daughter, both originally from the Hayward area, were visiting family members in Patterson. The Thrush Drive home where the incident occurred is owned by David Silvey, pastor of the Foursquare Church in Mountain House, and it’s listed as a mailing address for that church on www.FoursquareChurch.org.
[...]

Emergency crews responded to reports around 6 p.m. that the 3-year-old had drowned. Paramedics arrived and administered CPR, and the girl was flown by helicopter to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, according to Deputy Andrew Winter.

Doctors continued to attempt life-saving measures on the girl at the hospital, but she died at 9:50 p.m.

Winter said family members were in the house at the time but were initially unaware of what was happening.

“They weren’t in the bathroom,â€￾ he said. “They sensed something was wrong. Eventually they figured out there was a drowning of some sort and immediately called 9-1-1.â€￾
[...]

Winter could not confirm the relationship between Bigham and Silvey, though he said they are not father and daughter. He said it appeared the Silveys had taken in Bigham and her daughter temporarily.
[...]

http://www.pattersonirrigator.com/p...sted+in+drowning+death+of+toddler &id=5567807

WTF? Just sitting around with family and decides to go in the bathroom and kill her kid?

 

[Pene784]

Another murder/attempted suicide. How come the the person trying to commit suicide fails so frequently yet they manage to finish the job and successfully kill the victim?

 

[Silvahalo]

To do such a thing with family is really crazy....depression perhaps? wonder if family can shed some light on her state of mind prior to her fliipn out. Such a selfish, terrible act. Baby girl would have been aware mama was hurting her. So sorry little one, rest in peace.

 

[paranoiaqueen]

Fucking bitch!!

 

[Misskittychaos]

Poor baby girl how scary her last memories had to have been. I don't think there is anything this "mother" could say to make this less evil.

 

[thequeenofsorrow]

Awwww poor little girl. With the murder suicide thing, they say the murderer kills the other person and then chickens out on themself. I hate this bitch.

 

[intenseness4u]

Bitch....

How scary... last sight ... last memory... my mommy drowning me... fighting for air... why is mommy doing this... hopefully God changes the pain in Heaven...:confused2:

 

[Dakota]

Three years after a woman drowned her 3-year-old girl, she is walking free.

Originally determined to be insane, a judge now says she’s cured.

Jennifer Bigham went from insane to sane in a matter of months. Now she is enjoying her second night of freedom, just one day after a Stanislaus County judge allowed her to walk out of jail a free woman.

Bigham admitted to killing her toddler three years ago. The judge’s decision, described by some, is extremely rare.

“I understand why people would be upset, but what you have to understand is a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, means not guilty,â€￾ University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law Prof. John Meyers said.

Because the judge ruled Bigham not guilty of murder by reason of insanity, she could’ve been sent to a mental hospital. However, testimony from a pair of doctors claimed she’s now sane, so the judge allowed her to walk free.

Meyers says while Bigham’s case is rare, the judge had the right to release her.

“It may seem anomalous to people that a person who murders a child could go quote “freeâ€￾ after three years, but what people need to remember is that if it’s a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, don’t forget the not guilty part,â€￾ said Meyers.

He says the doctor’s report likely played a crucial role in the judge’s decision.

“Since we found you not guilty, we can only keep you in the hospital as long as you’re a danger to yourself or others; and once a person is no longer dangerous, they have an absolute right to be released,â€￾ said Meyers.

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2013...terson-woman-3-years-after-drowning-daughter/

Legal experts we talked to say the case is beyond bizarre. Bigham admitted to drowning her 3-year-old daughter in a bathtub in January 2010 in Patterson. Relatives found the toddler unconscious and Bigham locked in a bedroom with self-inflicted stab wounds.

The Stanislaus County DA’s office says Bigham underwent psychiatric evaluations at the time and the judge ruled her not guilty of murder by reason of insanity.

Bigham spent the last three years in a jail cell where neighbors believe she should remain.

“She does need to be somewhere where they’re watching her,â€￾ said Nicoya Grisez. “Because to do that to her own child, she shouldn’t be out in the public.â€￾

Bigham, now 26, could’ve been sent to a mental health facility after her insanity verdict. It’s what experts say usually happens in cases like these.

The same doctors who believed Bigham was insane at the time of her toddler’s death re-examined her and testified Tuesday that her sanity is restored. But prosecutors argue there isn’t enough evidence to support that claim, and say she’s still a danger to society. But the judge disagreed and released her immediately.

Bigham can’t be re-tried for murder because of double jeopardy laws.

Prosecutors plan to appeal the ruling, arguing the judge didn’t follow proper procedure in reaching the decision. It’s a process that could take months. In the meantime, Jennifer Bigham is out of custody and in the public.

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2013...-who-drowned-daughter-ruled-no-longer-insane/

 

[Dakota]

So after three years of treatment and incarceration, Jennifer Lynn Bigham will begin the process of reintegrating herself back into everyday life.

Judging from past cases, however, the general public might have trouble accepting her, according to experts.

"I don't think attitudes have shifted much," said Dr. Phil Resnick, director of forensic psychiatry at UH Case Medical Center in Cleveland. "The public is still extremely skeptical of mental illness. Even when people are recognized to be severely mentally ill, many public attitudes are, 'I don't care what they did, they should be punished.'"
[...]

While the public may worry about repeat acts of violence, Resnick said suicide is the greater risk.

"There are the very occasional reports, like one in a decade, a woman may marry a second time, have children and harm her children again," he said. "It's extremely rare. They're much more of a risk to themselves than they are to society."

Dr. Stephen Montgomery, a forensic psychiatrist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., said people found not guilty by reason of insanity and released from psychiatric care need close monitoring to protect themselves and those around them.

"The first sign usually comes from a family member, co-worker or supervisor, and [they] call me and say something is not right," he said. "We rely on family. Many times, when a person becomes psychotic they don't have insight that they're getting sick again."

While society may be skeptical, Montgomery said, people released from prison with no major mental illness are a greater threat.

"Those are the kind of people that are going to be at risk with future violence," he said, "as opposed to those people found not guilty ... by reason of insanity."

http://a.abcnews.com/Health/mom-accused-drowning-girl-wins-insanity-defense-now/story?id=18315734

 

[nannyd]

That poor baby girl. So, is the bitch pregnant again? She kinda looks it in the pic.

 

[Too Bad]

It looks like she got fat and it all went to her stomach. It doesn't look hard - it looks soft & squishy.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

Alexandrea Bigham