NJ mom who fatally drowned her 2 young kids found not guilty by reason of insanity
NJ mom found not guilty by reason of insanity for children's murders
A New Jersey mother has been found not guilty in the tragic deaths of her toddler children, who were both drowned in bathtubs last year.
LAKEWOOD TOWNSHIP, N.J. - A New Jersey mother has been found not guilty in the tragic deaths of her toddler children, who were both drowned in bathtubs last year.
Naomi Elkins, 27, was charged with killing her daughters, ages 1 and 3, after she drowned them in separate bathtubs at her home in Lakewood, New Jersey, on June 25, 2025.
What we know:
A superior court judge ruled last week that Elkins did kill her children, but was not guilty by reason of insanity, according to the Asbury Park Press.
She was then committed to a secure psychiatric hospital for a total of 150 years - two lifetime sentences for each child killed.
The backstory:
Elkins reportedly admitted to police that she drowned each of her children in separate bathtubs for "religious reasons."
The judge stated in court that Elkins "admitted she first plunged a knife into the younger child's stomach but, not believing that would kill her, she put the child in a bathtub and held her underwater for two to three minutes, counting to 50 several times," according to the Asbury Park Press.
When her other daughter saw what had happened, she tried to run away and hide, but Elkins took her to another bathroom, "climbed on top of her and held her down while the bathtub filled up."
First responders were called to the house by Elkin, but both children were pronounced dead at the scene.
What they're saying:
Psychologist Gianni Pirelli testified in court that Elkins was "undoubtedly psychotic" when she killed her children, and that she believed either she or her husband were the Messiah.
The Asbury Park Press reports that Pirelli quoted a letter written by Elkins following the murders, reading in part:
"I thought I loved you, God, my creator, … You are evil. I'm deserving of death and destruction. I don't know what I was. I loved my children, but I loved you more… I put me before my kids. How could a Jewish mother do that? How? How is it possible?''
The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office called the case a "tragedy of epic proportions," agreeing that Elkins was legally insane at the time of the fatal drownings.
What's next:
Elkins will remain committed to a psychiatric institution "unless there comes a point when she is no longer considered a danger to herself or others," according to the Asbury Park Press.
The Source: Informatino from this article was sourced from the Asbury Park Press.