Hearing to determine Catherine Hoggle insanity defense
Hearing to determine Catherine Hoggle insanity defense
The case against Catherine Hoggle returns to a Montgomery County courtroom Thursday as the mother accused of killing her two children prepares for an October murder trial.
ROCKVILLE, Md. - The case against Catherine Hoggle returns to a Montgomery County courtroom Thursday as the mother accused of killing her two children prepares for an October murder trial.
Her attorneys now want to pursue an insanity defense. FOX 5’s Melanie Alnwick reports that Thursday’s hearing centers on whether the defense will be allowed to argue Hoggle was not criminally responsible 12 years ago.
RELATED: New delays in Catherine Hoggle case
Sara, 3, and Jacob, 2, disappeared on September 7, 2014. Hoggle was the last person seen with them and was found five days later wandering alone in Germantown.
Catherine Hoggle’s children, 3-year-old Sarah and 2-year-old Jacob, were last seen in their mother’s care in 2014 and have never been found.
After her arrest, Hoggle was ruled not competent to stand trial and had previously been treated for mental illness. In 2025, she was released from involuntary psychiatric commitment. Prosecutors said they had new evidence and secured a new indictment on two counts of murder. Hoggle was re‑arrested and found competent to stand trial, meaning she can understand the proceedings and participate in her defense.
Her attorneys now plan to argue she was suffering from severe mental illness at the time of the children’s disappearance.
A status hearing last week was derailed when the defense first announced its strategy. Prosecutors said the filing was late and lacked supporting evidence. The defense said it had spent months trying to obtain records from the Department of Health.
The new hearing is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.