True Crime Collection

Deanna Laney Murders

Deanna woke up one night in May 2003 and took Joshua, her 8 year old son, to the yard of her home in New Chapel Hill, Texas where she lifted a huge rock over her head and brought it down with all her strength against his skull, killing him. She did the same to Luke, her 6 year old son. Later on, she tried to kill her youngest son, 14 month old Aaron, in the same way. He survived, but suffered severe head injuries.

During the investigation, Deanna claimed God ordered her to bash in her sons' heads. She was a member of an Assemblies of God church, where she sang in the choir. A year earlier, she had told her fellow churchgoers that the world was coming to an end and that God had told her to get her house in order. Later on, she told a psychiatrist that she hoped she and Andrea Yates would end up working together as God's only witnesses at the end of the world.

5 mental health experts were consulted in Deanna's case: 2 each by the prosecution and defence, and 1 by the judge. All of them arrived at the conclusion that she suffered from psychotic delusions which made her unable to know right from wrong at the times of the killings. A Smith County court found her not guilty by reason of insanity. She was committed to Kerrville State Hospital for 8 years until her release in May 2012. However, she is subject to a list of conditions, including that she have no supervised contact with minors and submit regular drug tests to ensure that she takes required medication.