A woman deemed unfit for trial in the deaths of two of her children has been prescribed new medication, according to prosecutors in Maryland.
Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy said there is hope the medication will work and the case can proceed.
“There is a hope that she is ultimately restorable to competency,” he said. “We are not there yet.”
Catherine Hoggle appeared at a hearing dealing with her competency Tuesday.
The father of the children, Troy Turner, believes Hoggle is guilty and wants her to go to trial.
“It feels kind of like a horror movie version of 'Groundhog Day' in some ways,” he said.
In the state of Maryland, charges against those accused of felonies like murder but who have been ruled incompetent to stand trial must be dropped after five years. According to McCarthy, a recent court ruling in another case indicates the five-year clock starts when a defendant is first found incompetent. In Hoggle’s case, that would be December 2017.
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Hoggle’s attorney, David Felsen, said that issue is not being addressed right now. He also said his client is getting the care she needs and is not faking mental illness.
Two of Hoggle's three children — 2-year-old Jacob and 3-year-old Sarah — disappeared in September 2014 and haven't been found.
Hoggle was the last person known to be with them. Police have said Hoggle refused to tell them where the children were.
