BROCKTON, Mass. — It took a Plymouth County jury just four hours to convict Latarsha Sanders of two counts of murder for stabbing to death her two young children in their Brockton apartment in 2018.
Sanders is serving two Life No Parole sentences.
At trial, Sanders’ attorney mounted an insanity defense, claiming Sanders was mentally ill and having a psychotic breakdown.
But the trial judge did not allow evidence of Sanders mental health into the trial, and that’s basis of appeal now before the state’s highest court.
“We assert the wholesale exclusion of medical evidence deprived Miss Sanders of a meaningful opportunity to present a complete defense,” attorney Robert Shaw argued.
But a Plymouth County prosecutor told the SJC that the judge made the right decision to exclude the evidence.
“For at least five months after she murdered her children, there was no notation whatsoever no observation and no clinician have a report on any kind of psychotic behavior,” Assistant Plymouth County District Attorney Melissa Johnson told the SJC.
According to a police report, at the time of the murders, Sanders talked about voodoo and various conspiracy theories.
In prison interviews, Sanders allegedly said evil was in her.
In her SJC appeal, Sanders’ lawyer said a prosecutor at trial was wrong in closing arguments to characterize Sanders as evil.
“It is not appropriate for a prosecutor to get in front of a jury and rather than looking at the evidence and the facts…to simply argue that the explanation for why this occurred is that Latarsha Sanders is evil,” attorney Shaw said.
But the government said the trial prosecutor only used Sanders’ own words in closings.
“She was clearly able to function and articulate a sort of excuse or alibi for her behavior. She understood what she had done,” Johnson said.
The justices will now look over both sets of arguments to determine if the trial judge made any reversible mistakes.
There is no timeline on how long it will take for them to reach a decision.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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