MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A woman on trial for a violent night that claimed the life of her 15-month-old daughter has been found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Officials said 38-year-old Precious Bland drowned the baby, claiming she was trying to baptize everyone in the house, on Aug. 23, 2021.
Bland’s 38-year-old husband and 16-year-old daughter were stabbed in the incident and survived.
“God is good. This doesn’t bring back my daughter,” she said Wednesday after the verdict. “I’m thankful. I love my children. Just ready to get my life back together, my husband and my children -- just move forward.”
Authorities discovered the victims at a home located on Northwest 99th Street near 30th Avenue, where they also found Bland suffering from stab wounds determined to be self-inflicted.
Bland’s attorney said she was suffering from a COVID-19 induced psychosis.
“From the first day that I was hired to represent Precious Bland, having done the research, because there’s so much that we don’t know about COVID, and this was one of the first cases in the country to go to trial on COVID-19 to the defense of murder,” said attorney Larry Handfield.
Four other children, all under the age of 11, were in the home at the time of the attack, but they were not harmed.
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