9 October 2023
A Washington County judge has ruled against a Woodbury woman’s defense that she was mentally ill when she fatally attacked her 5-year-old daughter and assaulted her 6-year-old son in the street outside their townhouse.
Judge Doug Meslow reached the verdict last week as part of the second phase of Sadiyo Ibrahim Mohamed’s bifurcated trial, concluding that her mental illness does not exonerate her of the crimes. It follows his decision last month that Mohamed, 34, was guilty of second-degree intentional murder and second-degree assault. She had waived her right to a jury trial in favor of a court trial based on stipulated evidence and facts.
Sadiyo Ibrahim Mohamed (Courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office)
Mohamed has a history of mental health issues and civil commitments dating back to 2013. She is currently being housed at the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter under a civil commitment.
In his one-page verdict issued Wednesday, Meslow wrote the “evidence in this case does not prove by a preponderance of evidence that (Mohamed) is not criminally liable by reason of mental illness” of the crimes.
Washington County Attorney Kevin Magnuson said in a written statement, “While we acknowledge the complexities of mental health, the legal process is designed to weigh all factors, and (Meslow’s) verdict is a testament to that process. Our heart aches for the family as they navigate this difficult chapter, and we hope they find support and closure they need in the days ahead.”
A ruling of not guilty by reason of mental illness would have resulted in Mohamed being civilly committed indefinitely to a secure hospital run by the state Department of Human Services.
Mohamed’s attorney, Chris Grove, said he would not comment until after the judge elaborates on his decision in his “findings of fact and conclusions of law.” The filing is expected this week.
“I don’t know why Meslow ruled in his general verdict the way he did, other than whenever you raise a mental health insanity defense, you’ve got about a five percent chance of success on it,” he said. “There’s no doubt (Mohamed) has a serious mental illness; she’s had it for years. The problem is the standard under McNaughton to establish a lack of criminal responsibility to the mental illness is damn near impossible in this state.”
In Minnesota, an insanity plea, or “McNaughton defense,” requires evidence that the defendant did not know right from wrong or understand the repercussions of her actions.
Mohamed was found to be mentally incompetent to stand trial in October 2021, five months after the attack, then competent in April 2022.
Woodbury police officers were called to the 400 block of Lake View Alcove at 12:46 a.m. on Wednesday May 26, 2021 after a 911 caller said a child was being chased by a parent. They found another child unresponsive in the street. (Courtesy of Woodbury Police Department)
According to court records, Woodbury police were called to 479 Lake View Alcove at 12:45 a.m. on May 26, 2021. They found Mohamed chasing the boy, who was screaming. The daughter lay in the street, unconscious and bleeding from a head injury. A long, thin piece of wood, which Mohamed allegedly used to punish the children, was found near the girl, officials said.
The children were taken to Regions Hospital. The girl died three weeks later, but the boy recovered from his various injuries.
Mohamed told investigators she has bipolar disorder and had been off her medications for a couple of months. She had tried to clean her home that day and had been paranoid and hallucinating the past couple of days, believing her children were playing games on her. She wasn’t sure if her children were “the devil or a demon,” which made her question if she should hurt them or not, according to the criminal complaint.
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