Dena Schlosser

Other details

Dena Schlosser (born 1969) lived in Plano, Texas. She was the mother of Margaret, an eleven-month-old daughter who was fatally injured. She had two other daughters who were not harmed in the attack and were later described as being in their father’s custody. She had no criminal record.

Schlosser was investigated earlier in the year by Texas Child Protective Services, which decided she did not pose a risk to her children. Child-protection authorities said she had shown signs of postnatal depression earlier that year, and authorities later said there had been no signs of violence.

Schlosser was also described as having a brain tumor, which defense lawyers said could have caused hallucinations. Prosecutors later argued Schlosser knew what she was doing.

Schlosser was later reported to be using the name Laettner. She was hired by a Terrell Walmart as a store associate in June, and Walmart later confirmed she was no longer employed by the company.

The offence

On November 22, 2004, Schlosser severed the arms of her eleven-month-old daughter, Margaret, with a knife. Officers found Margaret lying in her crib in a back bedroom, with her arms severed at the shoulders. Police described the injuries as having both arms completely severed.

Schlosser was covered in blood and was seen holding the knife when police arrived. She was described as calmly sitting with the knife singing Christian hymns.

Schlosser said she had interpreted a television news story about a boy being mauled by a lion as a sign of the coming apocalypse and that she had heard God commanding her to remove her baby’s arm and then her own. Psychiatrist David Self testified that Schlosser told him that she had heard God commanding her to remove her baby’s arm and then her own.

The attack was later described as a “religious frenzy”.

Investigation

Schlosser contacted her husband and told him she had cut off their youngest daughter’s arms.

A 9-1-1 call was made by concerned workers at a local day care center who had spoken to Schlosser earlier that day. An operator testified that Schlosser confessed to her and that a gospel song, “He Touched Me,” played in the background.

Schlosser responded to the 9-1-1 operator with the following exchange:

• “Exactly what happened?” 911 operator Steve Edwards asked.
• “I cut her arms off,” Schlosser replied as a gospel song played in the background.

Plano police said on Tuesday they were still searching for answers as to why Schlosser might hurt her baby and said: “We don’t know,” Plano police spokesman Officer Carl Duke said somberly. “It’s still too soon for that.”

Police said Schlosser had not co-operated with investigators beyond her initial statement.

Investigators searched the Schlossers’ apartment and took three Bibles, a letter from the Child Protection Service, linens, a piece of carpet, a Winnie the Pooh rug and a computer, according to an inventory filed with the court.

Arrest

Schlosser was arrested in 2004 after telling a 911 operator that she had severed her baby’s arms.

When police arrived, Plano Officer David Tilley coaxed the knife away from Schlosser.

Schlosser was covered in blood and was found holding the knife when officers arrived.

Trial

Schlosser was charged with murder. Her attorneys portrayed the killing as a religious frenzy.

Schlosser pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

In a second trial, a jury deliberated only a few minutes before deciding Schlosser was mentally incompetent to stand trial and she was committed to North Texas State Hospital in February 2005. In May, a judge decided Schlosser was competent.

At the insanity verdict in April 2006, a judge found Schlosser not guilty by reason of insanity.

At the verdict, Judge Chris Oldner said Schlosser had met the legal standard for insanity but did not elaborate.

Defense lawyer David Haynes said:

“My own expectation is that she will remain at the hospital for many, many years,” defense lawyer David Haynes said.

After the verdict, her lawyer said:

“We have a just verdict in a just case, but yes, it is bittersweet,” her lawyer said. “She feels it is her best chance to get better.”

Prosecutor Curtis Howard said:

“This is a case that could have gone both ways; we knew that,” Howard said after the verdict.

Curtis Howard also argued that Schlosser’s statement to her husband that she had “killed the baby” proved she knew what she was doing.

A witness in her first trial alluded to a possible brain lesion, but confirmation by a neurologist occurred after the mistrial due to miscommunication between doctors.

In February 2006, psychiatrist David Self testified:

“She felt she was basically commanded, in essence, to cut Maggie's arms off and her own arms off, and her legs and her head, and in some way to give them to God,” said Self, who evaluated Schlosser in the months after her arrest.

Schlosser had pleaded insanity and her attorneys tried to prove she did not know right from wrong.

On the question of whether she knew the wrongfulness of the crime, the Texas standard for insanity was discussed.

Sentencing

After the not guilty by reason of insanity verdict, Schlosser was sent to a state mental hospital and held until she was no longer deemed a threat to herself or others.

She was committed to the North Texas State Hospital after the April 7, 2006 finding.

In December 2008, she was released.

In April 2010, she was recommitted. In 2011, she was released.

After her December 2008 release, the order required her to:

• see a psychiatrist once a week,
• take medication,
• be on physician-approved birth control, and
• not have any unsupervised contact with children.

In the divorce settlement, Schlosser was prohibited from having any contact with either her ex-husband or her daughters again, and she was forbidden from seeing her two older children as part of a 2007 divorce decree.

A later reporting stated that she was ordered back to Terrell State Hospital.

Appeals

No appeal information was included.

Outcome

On April 7, 2006, Schlosser was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was committed to the North Texas State Hospital.

She was released in December 2008.

She was recommitted in April 2010 after Richardson firefighters saw her walking on a street at 2:00 a.m.

She was released in 2011.

In 2010, an attorney, David Haynes, said he felt the judge made the correct decision to send her back into a state hospital.

Aftermath

Schlosser’s husband, John Schlosser, filed for divorce after the attack. He later filed for divorce and sought custody of the couple’s other daughters. As part of the divorce settlement, Schlosser was prohibited from having contact with either her ex-husband or her daughters again.

A caseworker Jennifer Leung said she did not appear alarmed and did not see the comment as a sign that Schlosser would harm their child, and stated:

“He did not appear to be alarmed by the comment or see it as a sign that Schlosser would harm their child.”

The case was investigated by Texas Child Protective Services prior to the killing, and the agency asked a judge to terminate parental rights. Schlosser’s children had earlier been in their father’s custody.

In late June 2012, Schlosser was reported to have been hired by a Walmart as a store associate, but Walmart later confirmed she was no longer employed by the company. Lorenzo Lopez, a Walmart spokesman, defended the company’s employment policy by saying:

“Mrs. Laettner is no longer employed by the company,” said Lorenzo Lopez, a Walmart spokesman. Lopez defended Walmart’s employment of Schlosser. “All associates must pass a criminal background check as a condition of employment,” Lopez said. “If a charge does not result in a conviction, then we have no way of knowing an applicant’s previous criminal charges.”

Former Dallas County prosecutor Toby Shook discussed the legal framework and said:

“she has the same rights as everyone else, though the judge will always retain jurisdiction.”

Shook also said:

“Just like you might have a relative committed that's become mentally unbalanced if they prove to be dangerous, it's the same criteria in this case,” he said.

Shook said:

“Primarily, what a judge has to rely on are the doctors that are taking care of the person and any other experts that can give reports and testimony at a hearing.”

Shook said:

“You have a horrible, horrible crime that occurred,” he said.

He also said:

“You naturally want that person brought to justice or locked up for the rest of their lives, but that person is suffering from a mental disease. They weren't acting in their right mind.”

Shook described the compromise in the law and said:

“So we've reached this compromise in the law where they're found not guilty,” Shook continued. “They're not legally responsible, but a judge retains jurisdiction, so that hopefully society can be protected from something like this happening again.”

Schlosser’s reported job ended shortly before Monday, with Walmart confirming she was no longer employed.