Men held responsible for Women's crimes

The following articles present cases where women have committed crimes yet their husbands are held responsible.

While the final article points out that while women are given lighter sentences due to mental illness, male offenders receive no such consideration, and many men with schizophrenia and other severe mental health issues have been executed in Texas.

The picture above on the right, shows some old fashioned treatments for mental illness that were rather barbaric however, it would seem that we have not come very far because in Texas they treat mental illness with the electric chair (as depicted in the other photo on the left)

This also relates to a previous post about a mother who drowned her daughter in a bath but was declared not guilty because of insanity or the Mary Winkler case.

- GR Klein

25 May 2008, News Track, Dad charged after mom kills child

Mansfield, Texas, (UPI) - A Texas man warned not to leave his wife alone
with their infant son has been charged with abandonment after his wife
killed the baby, court papers say.

Michael Maxon, 54, of Mansfield knowingly left his son with his wife,
Valeria Maxon, 33, despite being warned by healthcare workers not to do so,
The Dallas Morning News reported Sunday. He is free on bond pending trial
and could be sentenced to 20 years in prison if convicted.

"To my knowledge, no action has been taken against the fathers until now,"
noted George Dix, a University of Texas law professor in Austin.

Valeria Maxon drowned her baby June 30, 2006. She was placed in a state
mental hospital after a judge found her not guilty by reason of insanity.

Court papers say she was despondent over her son's delayed development and
blamed her breast milk for his disorders.

Michael Maxon allegedly recorded tapes for his wife to hear in which he
repeatedly chanted such things as "Our son is riding on the short bus,"
"Life is so deliciously miserable" and "I am a mother. It's all my fault."

-------------------------------------------



Star-Telegram, 2 May 2008, Mansfield mom ruled insane in boy's death
By Melody McDonald

Fort Worth - Valeria Maxon believed that she was a witch and that her
1-year-old son, Alex, was the Antichrist. She was certain that her only
child was possessed by the devil, was dying and would start the apocalypse
and bring about the end of the world.

Soon, according to psychologists who later examined Maxon, she became
convinced that water was the only thing that could keep the evil spirits
away and save the world.

So on June 30, 2006, while her husband was out running errands, Maxon put
her son in the hot tub in the back yard of their Mansfield home and let him
drown.

And even now - nearly two years later -- Maxon thinks she did the right thing

"She thought it was horrible but that it prevented the end of the world,"
psychologist Randy Price testified Thursday during Maxon's capital murder
trial.

Later, state District Judge Wayne Salvant found Maxon, 33, not guilty by
reason of insanity and ordered that she be sent to a maximum-security state
mental hospital in Vernon for treatment rather than to prison for punishment.

"This has been a tragic situation," Salvant said. "I'm hoping Mrs. Maxon
can get the help that is needed."

To be found not guilty by reason of insanity, defendants must prove that
they suffer from a severe mental illness or defect and did not know their
conduct was wrong at the time of their crime. In Maxon's case, no one --
including the prosecutors -- disputed that Maxon was legally insane when
she drowned Alex.

"It is not my duty as a prosecutor to seek a conviction, but to see that
justice is done," prosecutor Alana Minton said later. "I do believe that
justice has been served today."

Maxon's defense attorney, Joetta Keene, said that she is really a "gentle
soul whose mental illness took over."

"That mental illness caused her to kill the love of her life," Keene said.
"We are happy that the state and the judge saw that it was the mental
illness that caused Alex's death and realized that Alex's mom loved him."

During the trial, which was decided by a judge, not a jury, a Texas Ranger,
two psychologists and Maxon's sister testified about Maxon's deteriorating
mental state, the drowning and a weird tape-recording that was found in the
Maxons' Mansfield home.

According to testimony, Valeria Maxon was living in Moldova in eastern
Europe when she met her husband, Michael Maxon, through a dating service.
She moved to the United States, and, on June 12, 2005, their son, Alex, was
born.

In March 2006, they learned that Alex was developmentally delayed, and soon
after, Valeria Maxon's mental health began deteriorating.

"She became more and more anxious about Alex," Price testified. "She wasn't
able to sleep and was extremely concerned about him and she began to
develop delusional thoughts."

Psychologists testified that Maxon became convinced that her son was dying
and that it was her fault because he needed her breast milk. She was
certain Alex was possessed and would cause the end of the earth. She
believed that God sent her a message, telling her water would prevent the
end of the world and Alex's suffering.

Maxon was hospitalized at least five times, from May 16 through June 30,
2006, in psychiatric hospitals in Dallas, Florida and California. On June
6, 2006, she attempted suicide by overdosing on Ambien. Doctors diagnosed
severe depression with psychotic features and told Michael Maxon not to
leave her alone with Alex.

But on June 30, 2006, Michael Maxon left to run errands, and when he
returned home, Alex was lying dead and naked on the couple's bed. Officials
said Maxon called his wife's family in Europe, put away groceries and the
dry cleaning, called a business partner and then dialed 911.

On Tuesday, Michael Maxon, 54, was charged with abandoning/endangering a
child. Investigators accused him of leaving Alex alone with Valeria,
knowing she was unstable.

At Thursday's trial, psychologists testified that they believe that Michael
Maxon exacerbated his wife's mental condition. Police found a tape in the
house in which Michael Maxon repeatedly chants negative statements. He told
police he played it for his wife as "therapy" when she was extremely depressed.

"It's all so deliciously tragic," Maxon says over and over in a singsong
voice. "It's all my fault. I really screwed up. I'm the mother; no one
understands me. If I'm miserable, the whole world has to be miserable.
Nobody understands. Our son is riding the short bus. It's all my fault."

What does the judge's order mean?

Valeria Maxon will remain in the state mental hospital for an indefinite
period. She will stay until a treatment team determines, and a judge
agrees, that she is stable enough to be released. Sometimes, the stays are
relatively short.

Other cases

Since 2001, at least four other Texas mothers have killed their children
and were found not guilty by reason of insanity.

In June 2001, Andrea Yates of suburban Houston drowned her five children,
ages 6 months to 7 years, in a bathtub, saying she was saving them from the
devil. During her 2002 trial, a jury found her guilty of capital murder and
sentenced her to life in prison, but the conviction was overturned. Yates,
who had a long history of mental illness, was retried and found not guilty
by reason of insanity. She was committed to a state mental hospital.

Deanna Laney of Tyler was charged with capital murder in May 2003 for
bludgeoning two of her sons to death with rocks and severely injuring a
third. She said God told her to kill her sons. Laney was found not guilty
by reason of insanity and was committed to a state mental hospital.

Dena Schlosser of Plano fatally injured her daughter by cutting off her
arms with a 10-inch butcher knife in November 2004. Schlosser, who suffered
from postpartum depression and exhibited hyper-religious behavior, believed
she was sacrificing her baby to God. She was found not guilty by reason of
insanity and sent to a state mental hospital.

Lisa Ann Diaz of Plano drowned her two daughters, ages 5 and 2, in 2003.
She told doctors and psychologists that they had lupus and ringworm. She
was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was released from a state
mental hospital in 2006.

---

Related Content

Mom ruled insane in boy's death
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/photos/gallery/618729.html

Crime Time blog
http://startelegram.typepad.com/crime_time/

Other cases

Since 2001, at least four other Texas mothers have killed their children
and were found not guilty by reason of insanity.

In June 2001, Andrea Yates of suburban Houston drowned her five children,
ages 6 months to 7 years, in a bathtub, saying she was saving them from the
devil. During her 2002 trial, a jury found her guilty of capital murder and
sentenced her to life in prison, but the conviction was later overturned.
Yates, who had a long history of mental illness, was retried and found not
guilty by reason of insanity. She was committed to a state mental hospital.

Deanna Laney of Tyler was charged with capital murder in May 2003 for
bludgeoning two of her sons to death with rocks and severely injuring a
third. She claimed God told her to kill her sons. Laney was found not
guilty by reason of insanity and was committed to a state mental hospital.

Dena Schlosser of Plano fatally injured her daughter by cutting off her
arms with a 10-inch butcher knife in November 2004. Schlosser, who suffered
from post-partum depression and hyper-religious behavior, believed she was
sacrificing her baby to God. She was found not guilty by reason of insanity
and sent to the state mental hospital.

Lisa Ann Diaz of Plano drowned her two daughters, ages 5 and 2, in 2003.
She told doctors and psychologists that they had lupus and ringworm. She
was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was released from a state
mental hospital in 2006.

Source: Star-Telegram archives
Related Tags (BETA)
mouse over a tag to see related stories
Mrs. Maxon Andrea Yates God sent Michael Maxon District Judge Wayne Salvant
June 2001 Valeria Maxon Randy Price Mansfield Moldova Ambien Antichrist
Joetta Keene

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TXCN - Texas Cable News, 25 May 2008

Charges against Mansfield man whose wife killed their child are seen as a
bold move
By Debra Dennis, The Dallas Morning News

Mansfield - Michael Maxon knew his wife was losing her fight for sanity.

Mental-health experts warned him that Valeria Maxon was despondent and
psychotic and, if left alone, could endanger the life of their 1-year-old
son, Alexander.

Mr. Maxon recorded tapes, homemade therapy for his wife when she became
depressed. On them, a police affidavit said, Mr. Maxon repeatedly chanted:
"Our son is riding on the short bus." "Life is so deliciously miserable."
"I am a mother. It's all my fault."

In a case tragically similar to that of Houston's Andrea Yates, who drowned
her five children in a bathtub in 2001, a solitary Mrs. Maxon drowned her
baby on June 30, 2006, at the couple's Mansfield residence. Authorities
familiar with Mrs. Maxon's history of mental disorders weren't surprised.

The bigger shock came late last month when police charged her 54-year-old
husband with child abandonment, a second-degree felony, in connection with
the child's death.

Legal experts say the charge against Mr. Maxon is as unprecedented as it is
bold. Investigators in these types of child homicides are now casting a
wider net in assigning blame – not leaving responsibility for the death
solely with the mothers – said George Dix, a University of Texas law
professor in Austin.

"To my knowledge, no action has been taken against the fathers until now,"
Mr. Dix said of Mr. Maxon's arrest. "The circumstances were ones in which
no reasonable, similarly situated adult would leave a child of this age and
ability and a reasonable person would believe that the circumstances would
place the child in imminent danger."

Watchful eye needed

Mrs. Maxon, 33, a native of Moldova, is confined to the state mental
hospital at Vernon after a judge this month found her not guilty by reason
of insanity in Alexander's death.

According to court testimony, Mrs. Maxon was despondent over her son's
delayed developmental issue and blamed her breast milk for his disorders.

An arrest-warrant affidavit released by the Mansfield Police Department
shows that weeks before Alexander's death, a California treatment center
advised Mr. Maxon not to leave his wife alone with their child. The former
magazine executive said that either he or his wife's sister would keep Mrs.
Maxon under constant watch.

But Mr. Maxon told police that on the day his son died, he left his wife
and son alone at their house for about 90 minutes while he went grocery
shopping. When he returned, Mrs. Maxon said that the boy had drowned in the
hot tub.

"I did it. I killed it," Mrs. Maxon told her husband.

Mr. Maxon's attorney, Jack Strickland of Fort Worth, said the charge
against his client is overreaching. Mr. Maxon, he said, took his wife and
child to medical facilities in Florida, California and Texas in an attempt
to get her the help she needed.

"Once the police realized that they weren't going to be able to
successfully prosecute Valeria Maxon, they looked for someone they could
focus their attention on, and that was Michael Maxon," he said. "There was
some suggestion that he encouraged her to harm the child. That's an unfair
suggestion."

Not really, says Mrs. Yates' attorney, George Parnham of Houston. Though he
said he has no direct knowledge of the Maxon case, he called the arrest of
the husband "a step in the right direction."

"I just think the parents need to be held jointly," Mr. Parnham said.
"Without getting into the merits of this case, I applaud the fact that at
least the state is looking at both parents. The fathers, they've got to be
educated that moms need some assistance."

Rusty Yates has divorced his wife and has remarried. On his blog earlier
this year, Mr. Yates said that he was a good husband and father and that
his family lived like many others.

"What is not written is that I worked hard to provide for my family," he
wrote in a blog post dated Jan. 21. "I worked hard around the house, I
helped care for our children, and I diligently sought medical treatment for
Andrea. In 2000, I suggested to her that she could work half-time and I
could work half-time; her response was, 'I am a mother now.' "

Mr. Yates was widely criticized for fathering a fifth child with his wife
knowing she had twice attempted suicide and suffered severe postpartum
depression. However, Harris County officials determined he was not
criminally responsible for his children's deaths.

"I think we're more sensitized to the obligations of husbands after the
Yates case," Mr. Dix said. "There is a great deal of difference in [Maxon]
in that he was warned specifically not to leave his wife alone. I can't
think of another case like this."

Placing blame

Dena Schlosser of Plano was also sent to Vernon after she was found not
guilty by reason of insanity for cutting off her baby daughter's arms,
killing her. Mrs. Schlosser suffers from schizoaffective disorder, which
makes it difficult to determine reality from delusion. She killed
10-month-old Maggie Schlosser in November 2004.

Her attorney, David Haynes, contends that Mrs. Schlosser's husband, John,
fed her predilection for religious-based solutions to her complex
psychiatric problems.

Mr. Schlosser, who Mr. Haynes said now lives in Parker County, was not
charged. He did not return repeated calls for comment.

"Any time a child is dead, there's a feeling that someone should be
responsible for it," Mr. Haynes said. "We've got a series of these in
Texas, and it's suggested that if the mother did the deed, there is
something in the family dynamic to hold the father responsible."

Mr. Strickland said that sort of thinking is unfairly penalizing his
client, who is free on $20,000 bail but faces up to 20 years in prison if
convicted.

He added that Mr. Maxon has suffered dual losses – the death of his son and
the loss of his wife to an institution. And fault, the Fort Worth lawyer
said, lies elsewhere.

"I'm a bit concerned that the medical facilities managed to keep her for a
day or two and decided that her illnesses were not serious enough for a
longer stay," Mr. Strickland said. "They were quick to wash themselves of
the Maxon family problems. When this thing turned horribly bad, these
people started trying to divest themselves and pointed a finger at
[Michael] Maxon.

"There's more than enough blame to go around here, and the most to blame is
Valeria, who walked out of a courtroom."

----------------------------------------------------------

http://preventionnotpunishment.blogspot.com/2008/05/another-mother-found-not-guilty-by.html

Prevention Not Punishment - Educating the public on the intersection of the death penalty and severe mental illness. 2 May 2008

Another Mother Found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Valeria Maxon, who has been
diagnosed with "bipolar disorder, most recent episode depressed with
psychotic features," was found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) in
the drowning death of her son Alex ("Mansfield mom ruled insane in boy's
death," May 2, 2008 ).
As with the vast majority of successful insanity defenses, the prosecution
and defense agreed on the appropriateness of this verdict, which was
delivered by Judge Wayne Salvant. Insanity must be proved by a
preponderance of the evidence.

The Star-Telegram article is pasted below in its entirety. Note the
description at the end of four other tragic cases of Texas mothers who have
been found NGRI since 2001 as a result of their severe mental illness.

"Valeria Maxon believed that she was a witch and that her 1-year-old son,
Alex, was the Antichrist. She was certain that her only child was possessed
by the devil, was dying and would start the apocalypse and bring about the
end of the world.

Soon, according to psychologists who later examined Maxon, she became
convinced that water was the only thing that could keep the evil spirits
away and save the world.

So on June 30, 2006, while her husband was out running errands, Maxon put
her son in the hot tub in the back yard of their Mansfield home and let him
drown.

And even now -- nearly two years later -- Maxon thinks she did the right thing.

'She thought it was horrible but that it prevented the end of the world,'
psychologist Randy Price testified Thursday during Maxon's capital murder
trial.

Later, state District Judge Wayne Salvant found Maxon, 33, not guilty by
reason of insanity and ordered that she be sent to a maximum-security state
mental hospital in Vernon for treatment rather than to prison for punishment.

'This has been a tragic situation,' Salvant said. 'I'm hoping Mrs. Maxon
can get the help that is needed.'

To be found not guilty by reason of insanity, defendants must prove that
they suffer from a severe mental illness or defect and did not know their
conduct was wrong at the time of their crime. In Maxon's case, no one -
including the prosecutors - disputed that Maxon was legally insane when she
drowned Alex.

'It is not my duty as a prosecutor to seek a conviction, but to see that
justice is done," prosecutor Alana Minton said later. "I do believe that
justice has been served today.'

Maxon's defense attorney, Joetta Keene, said that she is really a 'gentle
soul whose mental illness took over.'

'That mental illness caused her to kill the love of her life,' Keene said.
'We are happy that the state and the judge saw that it was the mental
illness that caused Alex's death and realized that Alex's mom loved him.'

During the trial, which was decided by a judge, not a jury, a Texas Ranger,
two psychologists and Maxon's sister testified about Maxon's deteriorating
mental state, the drowning and a weird tape-recording that was found in the
Maxons' Mansfield home.

According to testimony, Valeria Maxon was living in Moldova in eastern
Europe when she met her husband, Michael Maxon, through a dating service.
She moved to the United States, and, on June 12, 2005, their son, Alex, was
born.

In March 2006, they learned that Alex was developmentally delayed, and soon
after, Valeria Maxon's mental health began deteriorating.

'She became more and more anxious about Alex,' Price testified. 'She wasn't
able to sleep and was extremely concerned about him and she began to
develop delusional thoughts.'

Psychologists testified that Maxon became convinced that her son was dying
and that it was her fault because he needed her breast milk. She was
certain Alex was possessed and would cause the end of the earth. She
believed that God sent her a message, telling her water would prevent the
end of the world and Alex's suffering.

Maxon was hospitalized at least five times, from May 16 through June 30,
2006, in psychiatric hospitals in Dallas, Florida and California. On June
6, 2006, she attempted suicide by overdosing on Ambien. Doctors diagnosed
severe depression with psychotic features and told Michael Maxon not to
leave her alone with Alex.

But on June 30, 2006, Michael Maxon left to run errands, and when he
returned home, Alex was lying dead and naked on the couple's bed. Officials
said Maxon called his wife's family in Europe, put away groceries and the
dry cleaning, called a business partner and then dialed 911.

On Tuesday, Michael Maxon, 54, was charged with abandoning/endangering a
child. Investigators accused him of leaving Alex alone with Valeria,
knowing she was unstable.

At Thursday's trial, psychologists testified that they believe that Michael
Maxon exacerbated his wife's mental condition. Police found a tape in the
house in which Michael Maxon repeatedly chants negative statements. He told
police he played it for his wife as 'therapy' when she was extremely depressed.

'It's all so deliciously tragic,' Maxon says over and over in a singsong
voice. 'It's all my fault. I really screwed up. I'm the mother; no one
understands me. If I'm miserable, the whole world has to be miserable.
Nobody understands. Our son is riding the short bus. It's all my fault.'

WHAT DOES THE JUDGE'S ORDER MEAN?

Valeria Maxon will remain in the state mental hospital for an indefinite
period. She will stay until a treatment team determines, and a judge
agrees, that she is stable enough to be released. Sometimes, the stays are
relatively short.

Other cases

Since 2001, at least four other Texas mothers have killed their children
and were found not guilty by reason of insanity.

In June 2001, Andrea Yates of suburban Houston drowned her five children,
ages 6 months to 7 years, in a bathtub, saying she was saving them from the
devil. During her 2002 trial, a jury found her guilty of capital murder and
sentenced her to life in prison, but the conviction was overturned. Yates,
who had a long history of mental illness, was retried and found not guilty
by reason of insanity. She was committed to a state mental hospital.

Deanna Laney of Tyler was charged with capital murder in May 2003 for
bludgeoning two of her sons to death with rocks and severely injuring a
third. She said God told her to kill her sons. Laney was found not guilty
by reason of insanity and was committed to a state mental hospital.

Dena Schlosser of Plano fatally injured her daughter by cutting off her
arms with a 10-inch butcher knife in November 2004. Schlosser, who suffered
from postpartum depression and exhibited hyper-religious behavior, believed
she was sacrificing her baby to God. She was found not guilty by reason of
insanity and sent to a state mental hospital.

Lisa Ann Diaz of Plano drowned her two daughters, ages 5 and 2, in 2003.
She told doctors and psychologists that they had lupus and ringworm. She
was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was released from a state
mental hospital in 2006."

Posted by Kristin Houle at 1:43 PM
Labels: Mental Illness, NGRI, Texas

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Facts about Mental Illness and the Death Penalty

- The State of Texas ranks 47th nationally in terms of per capita spending
on mental healthcare, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
It ranks 1st in executions (more than 400 since 1982).

- Around 30 percent of those incarcerated in Texas prison or jails have
been clients of the state’s public mental health system. (TX Department of
Criminal Justice)

- The U.S. Supreme Court has prohibited the death penalty for people with
mental retardation, but it has not excluded offenders with severe mental
illness from this punishment. Texas law also does not adequately protect
those with diminished capacity from a death sentence.

- At least 20 individuals with documented diagnoses of paranoid
schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other persistent and severe mental
illnesses have been executed by the State of Texas. Many had sought
treatment before the commission of their crimes, but were denied long-term
care.

- Approximately 15 to 20 percent of Texas death row inmates receive ongoing
mental health services. (Houston Chronicle, March 18, 2007)

Download the Mental Illness and the Death Penalty Fact Sheet for more
information!
http://www.tcadp.org/uploads/documents/mental%20illness/MIDP%20Fact%20Sheet%2003-08.pdf