Judge rules Catherine Hoggle can enter insanity plea in trial for death of her 2 children
Judge allows Catherine Hoggle to use insanity defense in upcoming trial
A judge is allowing Catherine Hoggle to use an insanity defense in her upcoming trial for the death of her two children.
ROCKVILLE, Md. - A judge ruled on Thursday that Catherine Hoggle will be allowed to enter a plea of not criminally responsible by reason of insanity for the death of her two children.
The ruling comes as Hoggle prepares for an October murder trial.
READ MORE | New delays in Catherine Hoggle case
Hoggle appeared in court for the hearing wearing a black sweater with handcuffs around her wrists. The children's father was also in the courtroom, wearing a shirt featuring their faces alongside the words, "Always in our hearts."
What we know:
State prosecutors argued against the move, claiming the defense missed the deadline to file the plea. However, the judge sided with Hoggle’s legal team.
The defense’s strategy was first announced during a status hearing last week. The hearing was derailed when prosecutors said the filing was late and lacked supporting evidence. In response, the defense explained that it had spent months trying to obtain records from the Department of Health.
Entering a plea of not criminally responsible does not mean Hoggle is conceding to committing the crime; rather, her attorneys will argue to a jury that if she did commit the act, she was not in a mental state to be held legally responsible.
Former federal prosecutor and Georgetown Law adjunct professor Mushtaq Gunja noted that this strategy fundamentally shifts the trial's dynamic.
"The burden of proof typically relies with the government to prove the defendant committed the act and did it with the right mental frame, when the defendant pleads not criminally responsible, the burden shifts to the defense to prove they’re not criminally responsible," Gunja said.
The judge also ordered a new mental evaluation for Hoggle, a development that prosecutors told the judge will likely delay the trial even further.
The backstory:
Hoggle is accused of killing her two children, 3-year-old Sara and 2-year-old Jacob, who disappeared on Sept. 7, 2014. Hoggle was the last person seen with the children and was found five days later wandering alone in Germantown. Neither child has ever been found.
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.
Thursday’s hearing focused on whether the defense will be allowed to argue that Hoggle was not criminally responsible 12 years ago. Her attorneys plan to argue that she was suffering from severe mental illness at the time of the children’s disappearance.
Following her arrest, Hoggle was ruled not competent to stand trial and had previously been treated for mental illness.
She was released from involuntary psychiatric commitment in 2025 after prosecutors said they had new evidence and secured an indictment on two counts of murder.
Hoggle was subsequently re-arrested and found competent to stand trial, meaning a judge determined she can understand the proceedings and participate in her defense.
Criminal defense attorney Joseph Tully highlighted the rare nature of a case dragging on for 12 years.
"It brings up issues of: Is it fair to her to have the prosecution wait so long to actually be tried, and then, as you said, is it fair to the kids trial who wants justice as soon as possible? So you have these two sides sort of competing, but that’s why we have the court system," Tully said.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.