By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A judge agreed today a Centralia woman accused of killing her premature newborn should be evaluated by doctors from the state psychiatric hospital.
Laura Lynn Hickey, 24, made a brief appearance this afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court. She is charged with first-degree murder.
Laura Lynn Hickey
Prosecutors allege Hickey – who was about halfway through her pregnancy – used a serrated knife to cut off her baby’s head as it was trying to take a breath after she unexpectedly delivered it into a toilet two weeks ago.
She told police she didn’t think it was going to live and she didn’t want it to suffer.
Defense attorney Ken Johnson made the request for an evaluation from Western State Hospital.
They’ll look into issues of competency, insanity and diminished capacity, he said.
“In cases like this, you certainly want to look at potential defenses,” Johnson said. “Also the facts in this case, that are unusual, may indicate a mental issue.”
Hickey lived in a fifth-wheel trailer at the Peppertree Motor Inn and RV Park in Centralia. According to the attorney who represented her for her first court appearance, she has no income and no assets.
Hickey reportedly told police she used methamphetamine two days before the incident and had been awake since then. She has previous misdemeanor convictions for theft, vehicle prowl and trespass.
Charging documents indicate an emergency room doctor estimated she was about 21 weeks along in her pregnancy when he examined Hickey after what she initially said was a miscarriage.
Preliminary findings from the autopsy indicated the fetus was born alive and was viable, according to charging documents.
Whether a fetus at that stage of development can survive outside its mother’s womb is an issue that will come up in this case, Johnson said today.
Hickey has three children who were previously put into foster care by the state.
Last May, her 5-year-old and her 2-year-old were taken out of her home and in July, when she gave birth to her third child, it too was taken, according to a spokesperson for the state Children’s Administration.
Sherry Hill, communications director for the state agency, said she can’t disclose the reasons for the removals, however, she said the law provides for such action when a child is abused, neglected or no parent is capable or caring for it.
Hickey remains in the Lewis County Jail, held on $1 million bail.
She is expected to return to court on April 7.
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Read “Mother charged with killing newborn, held on $1 million bail” from Friday March 11, 2011, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
this woman is sick in the head but she chose to be by being high on meth. her mental state is all because of drug abuse and she should rot in prison for her actions. her ovaries should also be removed so she can’t reproduce anymore children that she obviously doesn’t want. poor children that she did let live, i pray they will be loved and cared for by people who deserve a family.
I got a mental eval for you.. she was high on meth. A person chooses to put that crap into their bodies therefore making any “mental” case null and void. Choosing to be drugged up and kill your baby is a choice, an active one she made. Guess she should have thought about all that before. Thank God all her other children were taken from her, no telling what would have happened to them.
this is way too late! maybe she should have this help before all of this happened! Oh that right! Poor people here in lewis county don’t have access to decent mental health care.