January 7, 2009
AUGUSTA, Ga.---Accused murderer Jeannette Michelle Hawes was found not guilty by reason of insanity in Superior Court Wednesday afternoon.
Judge J. Carlisle Overstreet ordered her confined to a mental health facility for treatment for an unspecified time.
Ms. Hawes stabbed her two young children to death in late 2007 inside a southside gas station bathroom.
Earlier, her attorney announced plans to make the insanity plea.
Judge Overstreet presided over a bench trial. That means he, not a jury, decided the verdict.
More:
Only on 12: Hawes' father figure says mental health issues were 'obvious'
Psychiatrist calls Hawes case 'most tragic' she's ever seen