The South African woman found guilty of killing her three young daughters will be sentenced in December.
Also read: Jury finds Lauren Dickason guilty of murdering her three daughters
Lauren Dickason was found guilty on three counts of murder by 11 out of 12 jurors after a five-week-long trial in New Zealand, where the incident occurred. The 42-year-old mom of three murdered her two-year-old twin daughters, Maya and Karla, and their older sister Liané, who was six on the night of 16 September 2021 in Timaru.
According to Stuff.NZ, a High Court hearing in front of Justice Cameron Mander on Friday set a sentencing date of 19 December.
Until then, assessments of Dickason’s status and subsequent reports are to be conducted. Dickason’s matter will be called in a fortnight to check on the progress.
Although Dickason admitted to killing her children, she pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Her attorneys argued that she was ‘severely depressed’ at the time and that she had not recovered from post-partum depression, IOL reports.
Three expert witnesses brought evidence during the trial that concluded that she was not of sound mind when she took her children’s lives and that she also tried to commit suicide. However, their evidence was not sufficient to convince the jury.
On 16 August, Dickason was found guilty. She has been in custody at Hillmorton Hospital, a state-run mental health facility, and has been undergoing medical evaluations.
Stuff.NZ noted that her progress reports from Hillmorton Hospital will be reviewed by the court in two weeks.
Also read:
Closing remarks in Lauren Dickason’s trial: She killed her kids out of ‘anger’
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