Ohio Woman Stabs Neighbor's Toddler but Found Not Guilty by 'Reason of Insanity'

By Mary Webber First Posted: May 17, 2022 07:31 AM EDT

Ohio woman Xiaoyan Zhu was charged with stabbing a toddler but was found not guilty by reason of insanity last week.

According to Crime Online, Zhu was tried on a bench of trial on attempted murder and felonious assault charges. A bench trial means the judge conveyed the verdict rather than a jury.

In March last year, the Ohio woman was charged with stabbing a three-year-old neighbor toddler in the neck and back as he walked to a bus stop with other children outside their homes in Deerfield Township in Warren County.

Zhu's daughter reported the March 4, 2021 stabbing incident to her teacher during their virtual learning as the teacher and the boy's mother called for help. Police said the toddler was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after the incident.

Prosecutors noted that the toddler was stabbed nine times, three of which caused lacerations to the neck area, according to WLWT News. They added that the attack was so forceful it went through the child's vertebrae and came within a hair's breadth of his spinal cord.

Ohio Woman's Bench Trial

The child's mother and a few psychologists testified during Zhu's bench trial on Thursday. The child's mother, Brieann Beckner, said when she got to the door, she saw Xiaoyan Zhu standing over her three-year-old boy, "who is crouched down on the driveway on all fours."

Beckner noted that the Ohio woman was standing over him with a knife while her other son was off to her side. The toddler's mom said she yelled at Zhu to stop, and she did.

Beckner added that she saw her son's injuries when she took off her toddler's jacket, saying that the injuries were "more significant than I thought."

Two clinical psychologists examined Zhu, coming up with similar conclusions about a possible motive. A psychologist testified that the Ohio woman said she thought there were strangers outside her house.

Dr. Kara Marciani said Zhu's assumption that strangers were monitoring her home to harm her and her family prompted her to grab a knife, go outside and confront the strangers.

A deputy who testified said Zhu him something entirely different. The deputy noted that the Ohio woman told him about an "alien toy." He then went on to describe the toy as the Baby Yoda doll that the boy was playing with at the time of the attack, according to Fox 19 News.

Another psychologist, Joy McGhee, testified that it was her opinion that Zhu did not know the wrongfulness of her actions when the event took place.

Ohio Woman's Ruling

Judge Donald Oda ruled that Xiaoyan Zhu was not guilty by reason of insanity. The Ohio woman will be placed back at Summit Behavioral Health, where she will be subjected to more evaluations.

Zhu will be under court supervision for 11 years, and a hearing on June 28 will determine where she goes from there. Oda noted that it was a very difficult case and a "tough decision."

The judge added that Zhu had no previous incidents with police, adding that the suspect believed at the time she was under attack and was under the influence of her disease until she was called out by the toddler's mother, according to WCPO News.

Meanwhile, assistant prosecutor Travis Vieux argued that the inability to control one's behavior was not a "defense under Ohio law."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Woman Accused of Stabbing 3-Year-Old Neighbor Found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity - From WLWT