LAKEWOOD – A Township woman has been found not guilty of stabbing and drowning two of her children after an hour and a half trial Tuesday.
According to Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan, 27-year-old Naomi Elkins did kill both her children but was not guilty by reason of insanity.
The judge ordered Elkins committed to a secure psychiatric hospital for two lifetimes, one for each child she killed. Each life term of commitment equates to 75 years under state law, officials said.
On June 25, 2024, officers arrived at a home on Shenandoah Drive regarding two children in cardiac arrest. According to officials, Hatzolah Medical Services attempted to render lifesaving aid to two minor children – ages one and three.
Their efforts were unsuccessful, and both children were pronounced deceased at the scene.
Authorities later discovered that the one-year-old victim had been stabbed, and that both children had been drowned.
Officers determined that both victims were Elkins’ children and that she was responsible for the deaths. She was taken into custody at the scene without incident and was transported to the Ocean County Jail.
Elkins had been charged with two counts of Murder, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon at the time of the murders.
Before the verdict was reached, the judge reviewed evidence which included Elkins’ statement to police after the murders, where she admitted to drowning both children in separate bathtubs.
According to Gianni Pirelli, a psychologist who interviewed Elkins several times after the murders, Elkins was experiencing a psychotic episode when she killed her children and did not understand that her actions were wrong.
Pirelli further noted that Elkins had been battling mental illness for at least seven years. She suffered postpartum psychosis after the births of her two children and her mental health never stabilized, Pirelli said.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer stated that his office could not dispute Pirelli’s conclusion that Elkins was legally insane when she killed her children.
At this time, the court will periodically evaluate Elkins’ mental health and she will remain committed to a psychiatric institution, unless she’s deemed no longer dangerous to herself or others.
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