Troy Turner sits in the room of his daughter, Sarah Hoggle, in 2014. Photo / Matt McClain, The Washington Post
A Maryland mother accused of strangling her two youngest children to death 11 years ago may be headed for trial after a judge yesterday ruled her mentally competent, the first such finding in the complicated case against Catherine Hoggle.
Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge James Bonifant issued the order after two days of testimony over Hoggle’s mental state, during which prosecutors argued that Hoggle, 39, has showed marked improvement over her longtime struggles with schizophrenia and psychosis.
“Everyone agrees that the defendant has made significant progress,” Bonifant said from the Bench.
His ruling clears the way for Hoggle to go to trial, a proceeding that’s at least a year away based on normal courthouse timelines.
“We know this case. We know the facts,” Montgomery County’s top prosecutor, John McCarthy, said after court yesterday. “We’re ready to try this case.”
Hoggle’s two youngest children - Jacob, 2, and Sarah, 3 - went missing in September 2014. The case grew ever more tragic as it became clear that the children weren’t going to be found.
Hoggle emerged early as the key suspect and was eventually charged with two counts of murder.
Since then, she has repeatedly denied harming her children but offered only vague explanations of what happened to them, according to court filings.
Authorities long ago concluded that both children are dead.
Court hearings since 2014 have centred on complicated legal battles about whether Hoggle had the mental wherewithal to receive a fair trial.
Doctors and judges repeatedly found her incompetent, which for years resulted in Hoggle being held at the high-security Clifton T. Perkins psychiatric facility in Jessup.
In 2022, murder charges against Hoggle were dropped, owing to limits on how long an incompetent person can be held without being tried, but she remained held under Maryland civil commitment procedures.
Her mental health began to improve, and several months ago she was released and began living in a group home on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
At that point, Montgomery County prosecutors reindicted her on murder charges and had her brought back to Montgomery to be detained. That set the stage for this week’s two-day mental competency hearing.
Hoggle’s lawyer, David Felsen, argued in court that his client remained incompetent, citing a recent evaluation from a doctor at Perkins.
“When you talk to her superficially, she can give you answers to your questions,” the doctor, Nicole Johnson, testified.
“When you begin to delve into some of the components that she would need in order to assist her attorney and really understand conceptually what’s going on, you begin to see the disorganisation of her presentation.”
Added Felsen: “The issue in this case, which has been the issue since 2014, is the ability to rationally convey real information. It’s not [if] she can plan, it’s ‘do the plans make sense.’”
Prosecutors called to the stand a different forensic psychiatrist, Christiane Tellefsen, who evaluated Hoggle for them in November. Tellefsen knew a lot about the case. She evaluated Hoggle in 2019 and deemed her incompetent but reached a different conclusion this time.
“She’s not psychotic anymore,” Tellefsen testified. “She’s rational.”
In addition to Tellefsen’s opinion, prosecutors had evidence from Hoggle that they said showed clear thinking.
From the Montgomery County jail, Hoggle made recorded telephone calls that were played for Bonifant in court. Prosecutors also showed him text messages that Hoggle had written from jail.
The communications made a clear impression on Bonifant, according to his ruling.
“What these messages show me is that the defendant understands the importance of evidence, of having a lawyer, and [of] listening to your lawyer,” Bonifant said.
“The messages show that she’s involved in her case and she understands that you need to plan and be prepared.”
In one of the text messages, Hoggle suggested to her mother that a rally be held outside the jail on her behalf.
“We need a peaceful protest on Saturday morning at 8.30 here,” Hoggle wrote, adding that such a gathering could “show the judge the support I have”.
Tellefsen testified how that text message was telling. “She’s thinking about a lot of different angles to her defence,” she said.
The physician also spoke about Hoggle’s past.
“The thing that was the hold-up was her psychosis - that paranoia, that disorganisation of her thinking,” Tellefsen said in court.
“She’d get a little bit scrambled in her logic. After her charges were dropped, her condition improved.
“She does have schizophrenia, which is a chronic relapsing illness,” Tellefsen added.
“She does not have an acute state of it now.”
In making his ruling, Bonifant locked in on whether Hoggle could effectively communicate with her defence lawyer, a key component in competency determinations.
“Much is involved in a criminal trial, and it is vitally important to work effectively with your attorney. Reviewing discovery, considering legal arguments, discussing plea offers are critical,” Bonifant said.
“If the case proceeds to trial, then participating in jury selection, cross-examination, opening and closing arguments is crucial. Developing an overall legal strategy is vital and necessary.”
The judge cited recent communications from Hoggle in which she spoke about her lawyer, Felsen, and whether she could get a “second-chair” lawyer to help him while making sure “he’s another Felsen that will fight hard”.
“She has confidence in Mr Felsen, a capable attorney,” Bonifant said.
“I am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant has sufficient present ability to consult with her lawyer with a reasonable degree of rational understanding and that she is competent to stand trial.”
Had prosecutors’ effort fallen short this week, Hoggle could have been ordered to be held at Perkins and eventually released from custody.
In court this week, prosecutors played parts of a recent, recorded interrogation of Hoggle by two Montgomery County detectives. Investigators could be seen pressing Hoggle about what happened to her children.
“You know what the topic is that maybe will trigger you. And that’s why you can’t talk about it?” Detective Mike Carin asked.
“I just don’t talk about it with people I don’t know,” Hoggle responded.
In a recent text message shown in court, Hoggle wrote: “My secret for navigating my many different environments is I’m a chameleon.”
Tellefsen, who formerly served as the director of Perkins, said the term showed Hoggle’s ability to fit in - whether in jail or as heard in recorded phone calls of Hoggle speaking with an acquaintance.
“It was like two suburban mums talking to each other in those conversations,” Tellefsen said.
In recorded calls with her father, played in court, Hoggle spoke about the group home and how she had called the director there to apologise for the media attention.
In court on Wednesday, McCarthy had urged Bonifant to reflect on Hoggle’s state of mind in the text messages and recorded calls.
“They scream, ‘I’m competent,’” McCarthy said. “They scream, ‘I’m in control.’ They scream, ‘I’m making the decisions here.’”
Jacob and Sarah’s father, Troy Turner, has long believed that Hoggle killed them. After court on Wednesday, he said he was especially pleased by Tellefsen’s testimony.
“I’m more hopeful today than I have been throughout this process,” Turner said.
“The former director of Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Centre says the woman accused of murdering my babies is competent to stand trial.”
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