Former Axtell woman who killed her husband in 1995 was re-admitted to a state mental hospital

WACO, Texas (KWTX) – A former McLennan County woman who killed her husband 29 years ago because she thought he was a “spy spy” and possessed by the body of a cult member will remain in a mental hospital for further treatment, a judge ruled Thursday. .

Visiting Judge Roy Sparkman ordered April Kay Harris to continue treatment at a state hospital in Kerrville for at least another year after doctors there reported that she remained a threat to herself and others because of her ongoing schizophrenia and other disorders.

Harris, 67, was found not guilty in 1997 on the grounds of insanity in the 1995 shooting death of her husband, 39-year-old Timothy Lee Harris. Harris has been in a state mental hospital ever since. His case is reviewed annually to determine whether he can be released or transferred to a less restrictive environment.

Harris told authorities that she shot her husband in the head while he was sleeping in their Elk home because she thought he was possessed by the body of an unidentified cult member. He said that after he shot her the first time, he looked at the wound in her head, saw the cult members inside her head, and shot her again.

Dr. from Kerrville State Hospital. In her report to the court, Jennifer Wright said Harris “continues to espouse the same strange delusional belief system” that led to his not guilty verdict and hospitalization.

“She’s safe and where she needs to be,” Harris’ attorney, Bryan Cantrell, said after Thursday’s uncontested hearing.

Wright’s report to the court states that although Harris was taking medication in accordance with the rules at the facility, he had no knowledge that he was mentally ill.

“His illness was complicated by longstanding treatment noncompliance and heavy drug use in the community,” the report states. “His judgment is significantly impaired by his illness, and he requires the high level of structure and supervision provided by the hospital environment to ensure he takes his medications compliantly and does not engage in potentially dangerous behavior.”

In addition to killing her husband, Harris “committed significant acts of aggression towards herself, including attempting suicide by jumping off a highway overpass, slitting her wrists and throat, and attempting to hang herself,” according to the report.

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