The Superior mother accused of smothering her 6-month-old son last summer pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity Friday.
Stephanie Rochester faces charges of first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death in the June 1 death of her son, Rylan. Her attorneys said they believe postpartum mental illness contributed to her actions.
Rochester bit her lip and dabbed her eyes with a tissue as her attorney, Megan Ring, entered the plea before Boulder County District Judge Gwyneth Whalen. Other than quietly affirming that she agreed with the plea, she said nothing.
During the initial investigation, Rochester told detectives that she believed her baby had autism and that having an autistic child would emotionally and financially “ruin” her life.
Rochester, who worked for two years as a counselor with autistic kids at Children’s Hospital, told investigators that she was convinced Rylan had autism and that her pediatrician did not take her concerns seriously.
Lloyd Rochester, her husband and Rylan’s father, told police Rochester was concerned the baby had autism even during her pregnancy. Lloyd Rochester has filed for divorce.
Experts say that autism cannot be diagnosed that early in life. According to an autopsy report, Rylan was well nourished and developmentally normal.
Showing that Stephanie Rochester held beliefs that were delusional could be part of an insanity defense, but by itself is not enough to find Rochester not guilty, said Patrick Furman, a law professor at the University of Colorado.
To find someone not guilty by reason of insanity, a jury must be convinced the person was so mentally impaired that he or she could not distinguish right from wrong.
Furman said the insanity defense is rarely used and rarely successful.
“A lot of people believe defendants use this when they have nothing else to go on,” he said. “It’s a tough standard to meet, and a lot of people simply don’t buy it.”
While Rochester’s apparently delusional belief that her son had autism might point to an impaired mental state, prosecutors could try to use her confession to paint Rochester as a woman making a calculated decision that her life would be better without her son.
Ring asked that the psychiatrist assigned to Rochester have expertise in postpartum mental illness.
Deputy District Attorney Adrian Van Nice said making that a requirement might skew the results of the evaluation, though the state mental hospital, where prosecutors want the evaluation to occur, has psychiatrists with expertise in perinatal mental-health issues.
Ring said the defense has no intention of skewing the results, but postpartum issues need to be considered.
