Sanity question stalls trial of South Florida mom charged with killing her 3-year-old
It’s been almost two years since the state accused Jellisa Amoya Baxter of the mutilation and stabbing death of her 3-year-old daughter Arya in their North Miami Beach apartment. When police showed up, they found Baxter wearing a white robe. She refused to speak with them.
Wednesday morning, seated alone in a jury box in courtroom 3-4 of Miami-Dade’s criminal courthouse, Baxter answered questions from Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Andrea Wolfson, clearly and without hesitation. But it was her answer to the last question that befuddled the judge and has delayed the case from going to trial.
Wolfson asked Baxter if she believes Arya is still alive.
“I know that she is,” replied Baxter.
Since her arrest for her daughter’s death, Baxter’s competence has been front and center in the alleged filicide. Baxter, 26, insists she’s competent. Still, her attorney Sasha Pernick has requested several psychological evaluations on her client. The results have been mixed.
“Just to clarify,” Pernick told Wolfson Wednesday. “She believes she’s competent. I am the one stopping that.”
Wolfson told Pernick and Miami-Dade state prosecutor Abbe Rifkin, the results of Baxter’s testing have left the judge in an awkward situation. She said she’s having trouble digesting a competency ruling for a woman who can’t even accept the fact that her child is dead.
“I’m having a hard time coming to terms with that,” Wolfson said, before ordering yet another evaluation.
A ghastly scene
It was early in the morning of Dec. 27, 2022 when North Miami Beach Police entered apartment 311 at the Greenview Apartments in North Miami Beach. What they found sickened hardened detectives who had investigated numerous murders over the years.
On the living room floor was the lifeless body of 3-year-old Arya Smith. Police said she had deep stab wounds — they couldn’t say how many — to her chest, neck and face. A knife was found on the ground, beside the child.
Police said when they arrived, the only other person in the apartment was Baxter. She was pacing in the living room and speaking incomprehensibly. A neighbor told police it wasn’t unusual to see Baxter striking her child. Police said Baxter made the 911 call that alerted them.
Baxter was arrested, jailed and denied bond. She’s facing charges of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse.
Her Instagram page at the time of her arrest showed she had more than 5,000 followers and identified her as a mom and holistic health coach who spoke of healthy foods and wellness.
Going to trial with an insanity defense is exceedingly rare. The vast majority of competency issues are resolved during pre-trial hearings before a judge and after tests administered by psychologists have been submitted to the court.
Arya’s death had striking similarities to a double murder earlier that spring in Little Haiti. It is yet another homicide in which the court is grappling with the competency of the accused.
In April of 2022, Odette Joassaint, then-41, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her two children, Jeffrey Belval, 3 and his 5-year-old sister Laural Belval. They were found hog-tied and strangled in the family’s Little Haiti apartment.
Police said Joassaint was agitated and incoherent when they arrived. Like Baxter, police said Joassaint called 911. She allegedly told the dispatcher, “Come get them. I don’t want them anymore.”
Suspect’s competency still in question
During Wednesday’s hearing, Judge Wolfson was miffed at Baxter for refusing to participate with the court-appointed psychologist who was sent to evaluate her. The two met at the hospital, Wolfson and Baxter acknowledged, but for only about 10 minutes.
“Once again, you refused the evaluation,” Wolfson said.
And Rifkin, the Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney expressed anger with the delays and said if Baxter isn’t willing to work with the doctor, she’s ready for a hearing.
Facing Baxter, the judge gave her a final warning.
“If you don’t comply with our order, I’m going to have to hold you in contempt of court,” the judge said.
Baxter’s next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 23.
