TAMPA, Fla. – Two doctors in the trial of a Tampa woman accused of killing her two teenage children told a jury Wednesday that she was sane at the time of the shootings.
Julie Schenecker, a 53-year-old former military wife, is on trial in Hillsborough County Court. She's been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Calyx, her 16-year-old daughter and Beau, her 13-year-old son. The teens were shot to death while her now ex-Army officer husband was on a 10-day deployment to the Middle East.
Wednesday was the seventh day of testimony in the trial. Prosecutors called two mental health experts as rebuttal witnesses.
The two doctors said Schenecker had a plan to kill her children, and cited her journal writings that detailed the plan as evidence. They also said the fact that she drove to a gun shop, told a clerk she wanted a gun so she could protect herself and then returned following a three-day waiting period proves that she intended to kill her children.
Dr. Randy Otto told the jury that Schenecker told him that after she shot her children, she tried to manipulate Calyx's mouth into a smile. She also covered both the teens' bodies with blankets and kissed them, Otto said.
Defense attorneys say Schenecker suffered from bipolar disorder with psychotic features and depression, and that she was insane at the time of the January 2011 deaths. Defense experts say that Schenecker bought the gun with the intent to kill herself. They also said that Schenecker was suffering from "delusions" that she was "saving" her children from embarrassment or killing them to save them from future harm or mental illness.
Upon questioning from Schenecker's lawyer, Dr. Donald Taylor did say that her mental condition was on a downward spiral in the months leading up to the crime.
"With the benefit of hindsight, it's clear that her mental condition was deteriorating," he said, adding that she should have been committed to a mental health facility.
Yet he maintained that despite that, Schenecker knew what she was doing was wrong.
Defense attorneys rested their case on Tuesday. Schenecker told the judge she won't testify on her behalf
Closing arguments could take place Thursday.
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