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Otty Sanchez – Is she really competent for trial?

October 12, 2009

Crime News, Featured

San Antonio police who say Otty Sanchez beheaded her 3 1/2 week-old infant son Scott Wesley Buchholtz-Sanchez with a steak knife and two swords and eating some of the baby’s body parts feel she is compentent to stand trial. Otty Sanchez ate part of the newborn’s brain and bit off three of his toes and than stabbed herself twice. She told the cops that the she killed her son because the devil told her to do it.

Otty Sanchez is a diagnosed schizophrenic. The father of the child Scott W. Buchholz is himself also a schizophrenic and takes six anti-psychotic and anti-convulsive medications. He says that Otty had postpartum depression and had been going to regular counseling sessions after the birth, but refused to take prescription medication for her depression.

An initial psychiatric evaluation has determined that she is competent to stand trial, the Ms. Sanchez’s attorney said Thursday. The findings, which are not public record and have not been ruled upon, also state that her mental competency has “waxed and waned” during the two months she has been in the hospital section of the Bexar County Jail, according to defense attorney Ed Camara.

Magistrate Judge Andrew Carruthers is expected to review the report during a hearing in November. If neither side opposes the report, he can make an official determination of Sanchez’s competency at that time. Since her arrest, Sanchez has been on medication, which has improved her mental state, Camara said.

“She’s very unhappy, of course, and very distraught about this whole situation,” he said. “She’s not doing very well, but she is under controlled circumstances with the medication. Without the medications, she’d be a disaster.”

Sanchez’s attorneys likely will have another forensic psychiatrist conduct a second evaluation before the November hearing, Camara said. But the goal, he said, is to have her competent so the case can be resolved by a jury.

“The question at the trial is whether or not she was insane at the time this happened,” he said. “That’s the crux of the defense. All the evidence indicates she’s mentally ill.”

Original Crimes & Justice story including video

San Antonio News Story

Otty Sanchez has a Myspace Page and even writes blogs

Cassandra Salazar aka ♥→ Armanis’ Mommy ←♥ didn’t leave a very nice comment for Ms. Sanchez on her blog…

You don’t deserve sympathy from anyone. I can not and will not sypathize for someone that can murder a baby, especially their own child. I can’t fathom how someone can defend someone as vile, discusting, and monstrous as you!! You are a 33 year old GROWN woman who was cognizant of what she was doing, and admitted to doing it. You were obviously able to differentiate between right and wrong, hence you trying to kill yourself, too bad you were too much of a coward to finish yourself off! Your 3 1/2 WEEK OLD BABY had no one to defend him and protect him against your hideous attack. He couldn’t even defend himself, he could only cry, YOU we’re suppose to love him, care for him, nourish him, and protect him, not EAT, MUTILATE and KILL him. You are the only one to blame for your discusting deed, not the system, not your family, not Scott’s father, only YOU! I have friends that had severe PPD, and none of them ever laid a finger on their child, They got help and they are wonderful mothers. There is so much help and so many resources out there for people who have mental issues, YOU checked yourself into the hospital for “hearing voices” and YOU checked yourself out. You aparently knew something wasn’t right but you decided not to proceed with receiving help. I have a 19 month old son, I could never hurt my child, he is my angel, my world, my number one priority. My job in life is taking care of him, teaching him, protecting him, loving him and guiding him to become a productive, happy, successful adult. The ONLY victim here is baby Scott. That little angel was too good for you anyways, life is too good for you, and a quick death is too good for you.  God WILL judge you one day, good luck explaining to him that you “listened to the devil” and murdered your own flesh and blood, the most precious gift that god himself blessed you with, and then you decided to eat him.

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  • http://myportfolio.usc.edu/lamar/ Courtney Lamar

    I find this post and the original Otty Sanchez post unbelievable. Though I continue to be stunned by the number of mothers committing heinous acts like this, I find it necessary for the public to be discussing it. I appreciate you continuing to open up your blog to assault so as to inform the public of events like this. Otty Sanchez’s case is one of the most graphic and elaborate cases of maternal filicide that I have read. It seems impossible to ignore Sanchez’s terrible combination of postpartum depression and schizophrenia when looking at this particularly grotesque case. Do you feel that this combination exacerbated her chances of committing this crime? Though you have kept very unbiased in both of these posts, which I appreciate, one has to wonder if the public was more aware of mental illness and the possible consequences of it going untreated would this have ever happened? It seems completely absurd that a woman who “had postpartum depression and had been going to regular counseling sessions after the birth, but refused to take prescription medication for her depression,” was allowed to be left alone with her child. I believe that mental illnesses can be treated and see no reason that Otty Sanchez could not achieve sanity under proper supervision (as you stated in your post), like in the mental hospital section of Bexar County Jail, and with suitable medication.

    However, for me the problem is not whether or not Sanchez has the ability to be sane, the problem is how could the public expect an un-medicated schizophrenic with PPD to do anything different than what she did? I know a mother killing her child is something people think is impossible, but how can we ignore the data that over 200 mothers commit this crime in the US every year? Do you see this as a problem that the mental health system can address or do you feel the responsibility lies on those that are mentally ill? I do not excuse Otty Sanchez’s actions. She should have taken greater precautions with her mental illness and realized her own limitations. But if someone had a heart attack while driving and killed their child in the crash would we blame them for being sick? Though I realize many will not be able to see the logic there, the fact still remains that those that are mentally ill are sick. How do you feel we should punish these individuals? Is it as simple as an eye for an eye, or is there more to it than that?

    • http://crimesandjustice.com Crimes & Justice

      Your comment post is well thought out and refreshing to read compared to some that I get on this site. Not that I am knocking the comments I get by any means. Courtney I find it difficult to understand why Otty had a child in the first place when she was in the condition that she was in. I don’t feel the need to tell a person that they should not have children as it is not my place, however if they have a mental condition that is not in control by their own choice, I find it hard to comprehend the reasoning to bring another life into that environment. It brings more conflict and unrest into that persons life. I know that 2 birds with like feathers flock together (both mother and father have mental illness). I understand that, and still find it somewhat difficult to understand why a child was brought into the picture, and even more difficult why a friend or family member did not step in and help or take some sort of control.. However in these times people don’t do that. They either feel it is not their problem or they don’t care, or they are scared to. It is a sad care and yes it is one of the most shocking cases I have read about myself. I try to stay somewhat neutral about it because in my personal opinion a sane person wouldn’t possibly eat the body parts of another human being. Atleast that is how I think. Texas is number 1 for the death penalty and spares no mercy in alot of cases. I am afraid that in alot of cases mentally ill people are being put to death when it is clearly obvious they are legally insane. It’s just a very confusing and sad case. I appreciate your in-depth commentary and blog that you write as I read yours as well.