Mother Pleads Guilty to Killing Children in 2021, But ‘Not Criminally Responsible’

By Sara Palmer [former] - April 19, 2024
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | stabbing | Suspects |

A 31-year-old homicide defendant pleaded guilty on April 17 to two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree child abuse resulting in the murders of her children, six-year-old Da’Neria Thomas and 8-year-old Davin Thomas. 

Jameria Hall, represented by Deborah Levi and Mary Pizzo entered a not criminally responsible plea, which the prosecution agreed to.

Hall was initially found incompetent to stand trial in September 2021 in mental health court, which was later overturned in March 2022. After speaking to the doctors who evaluated Hall, the prosecution  believed this reconsideration was a mistake.

Doctors told the prosecution that Hall was mentally competent for a multitude of reasons. They said it was anger, not mental illness that was the motive for the crime. 

The factors included her neighbor telling Baltimore Police Department investigators she appeared intoxicated, that she had pent up anger against the children’s father and her own mother, and that she would benefit financially from killing her children.

Crime scene evidence indicated Hall’s intent to burn the house down to cover up the murders, and a letter found at the scene from the court about her custody case issues.

The prosecutor, unconvinced by these findings, looked further into calls made by Hall inside prison during which she discussed her mental health, stating she felt anxious, depressed and heard voices before being placed on appropriate medication. She also claimed she didn’t understand why she hurt her children or what happened. 

Hall also spoke to her brother a week before the murder about believing she had to fight evil spirits to protect herself and her children. 

The assistant state’s attorney decided to seek her own expert to get a second opinion. That doctor believed Hall was suffering from schizoaffective disorder with associated delusions and hallucinations that caused her to kill her children. The father of Hall’s children also believed that under normal circumstances, she would never hurt them.

Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Gale E. Rasin informed Hall that upon being committed to a mental facility,  no one could promise when she would be released. Upon release she will receive psychiatric care, take medications, attend day programs and not be permitted to engage in any recreational drugs or alcohol. 

Judge Rasin claimed she had “never seen anything like this” in that a prosecutor would go after every bit of available evidence in a case.

When asked to give a victim impact statement, the children’s father asked the court to place themselves in his shoes. 

Judge Rasin concluded the hearing by finding Hall to not be criminally responsible due to mental disorder. 

Levi and Pizzo also expressed their appreciation to the prosecutor for the compassion she showed to their client and the lengths she went to examine the facts.