Mom not criminally responsible for girl’s death

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A woman accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter because, prosecutors say, she believed the child was under a curse has been found not criminally responsible in the slaying.

An Anne Arundel County Circuit judge on Friday ordered that 26-year-old Chelsea Booth of Annapolis be committed indefinitely to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Booth’s daughter, Kassidey, went missing in February 2013. Police say Booth told them she smothered her daughter and disposed of her body. Prosecutors say Booth believed the toddler was cursed.

Judge Ronald Silkworth ruled based on the recommendations of the health department. The Capital of Annapolis reports (http://bit.ly/1oolLVg) Booth has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and experiences hallucinations and delusions.

Booth is being treated at the Department’s Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center in Jessup.

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Information from: The Capital of Annapolis, Md., http://capitalgazette.com

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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