The Supreme Court has acquitted a mother who was convicted of parricide after it was proven that she was suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the incident. In a decision penned by Associate Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan, the Court recognized that the mother's mental state deprived her of the ability to understand the wrongfulness of her actions.
Case Background
The mother was charged after she jumped off a bridge with her five-year-old child, resulting in the child's death. According to her statement, she had no recollection of the incident and only regained consciousness while floating in the water. A psychiatrist from the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) confirmed that she had schizophrenia.
Lower Court Rulings
The Regional Trial Court (RTC) and the Court of Appeals had previously upheld the conviction and imposed the penalty of reclusion perpetua. However, the Supreme Court reversed these decisions.
Supreme Court Decision
The High Court considered legal insanity as an exempting circumstance and absolved the mother of criminal liability. The ruling emphasizes that individuals who are mentally incapacitated at the time of the offense cannot be held criminally responsible.
