Amish Mother Ruth Miller Committed To Psychiatric Hospital In Son’s Drowning Case
Ruth Miller appeared in court as scheduled today following last week’s not guilty by reason of insanity verdict in the drowning death of her 4-year-old son, Vincen.
Having reviewed the expert reports and testimony, Judge Michael Ernest decided Miller’s placement in a mental health facility near Miller’s home community. From WKYC:
NEW PHILADELPHIA, Ohio — Ruth Miller, the Amish mother recently found not guilty by reason of insanity in the drowning death of her 4-year-old son at Atwood Lake last summer, has been committed to a Stark County behavioral health hospital.
Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Ernest made the ruling after a placement hearing on Friday that included testimony from several medical experts. Miller will be committed to Heartland Behavioral Healthcare in Massillon.
In deciding to place Ruth Miller at Heartland, Ernest explained it appropriate “considering the need to consider the least restrictive setting, as well as keeping in mind public safety.”
Miller will not be free while undergoing treatment at the facility. Ernest described it as “a secured hospital, from which individuals cannot just come and go as they please. It is a facility for which you will be confined there.”
One point of note – comments that indicated that it may not be completely agreed upon as to what type of mental illness Ruth Miller has suffered from. As the judge said:
“there may be some differences of opinion as to what that specific mental illness is, but the statute does not require that there be a unanimous decision as to what the, that specific illness is.”
So while all experts agreed that she has a mental illness, there is not necessarily complete agreement as to what it is. Presumably that will be addressed while she’s at the facility.
Ruth Miller Will Be Treated Near Her Home
There are a few additional points to consider. Miller will not immediately go to the facility, as there is a waiting list to get in. She will remain in jail until space is available, but Ernest said that they will contact the facility today to make sure her placement is expedited.
It should be noted that this facility will also keep Miller near her family and community. The facility, located in Massilon, Ohio, is only about 15 to 20 miles from Winesburg, her home community.
This will likely be appreciated by her loved ones and church members who wish to support her and maintain contact, and also likely important, at least to some degree, for the success of her treatment.
How long will Ruth Miller be at the facility?
What is the potential time frame of her getting out? Judge Ernest seemed to leave that in the air, deferring to future feedback from hospital.
There is no stipulation as to how much time she must spend there. You would assume that since the goal is treatment that it is going to be results-based – and in no small part in the hands of the professionals at the facility and their and others’ evaluation of her progress and condition.
So the outcome for Ruth Miller is not a matter of punishment but rather it is addressing the mental illness that it has been established she suffered from at the time that she caused her son’s death at Atwood Lake.
People will disagree with this outcome and many have, seen already in the response to the not guilty by reason of insanity verdict. But that implies disagreeing with the conclusions of multiple psychiatric experts’ evaluations and other evidence suggesting that she was suffering from mental illness leading up to, and at the time of the incidents.
Ruth Miller will be back in court for future review hearings. There will be one in approximately six months, and following that, every two years, the judge explained.
Speaking strictly as a layman and not a legal or mental health professional, that review structure to me suggests that the time frame for her stay will likely be measured in years, rather than months.
Ruth Miller.
Hi Eric. I’m happy that Ruth will get the treatment she needs. such a sad case.
Reegrds Marty R.
The Irony of This Case
Had Mrs. Miller elected abortion four years ago, there would have been no legal ramifications in the death of her son. We live in a very sick society.
The Insanity Defense
In many high-profile cases, members of the public feel that defendants are not appropriately punished when found not guilty by reason of insanity. In reality (and speaking to your point about how long she may be hospitalized), these defendants are usually committed for a longer period than they would have served had they been convicted and sentenced.
Mixed feelings
I have to say that I’m surprised and concerned in the other direction: that is, I’m surprised that someone was judged fit to stand trial and make decisions about things like waiving a jury trial, to then be subject to a judgement is that it isn’t appropriate to release them under some sort of supervision requirement. Especially as there seems to have been so much real question about granting her bail. But it sounds like this is probably the best it’s possible to do for now if Ruth Miller is genuinely still too unstable in her mental health for supervised release of some sort to work.
I think the idea that someone has been inadequately punished does come back to there being a rather strange attitude to “not guilty by reason of insanity”. If it’s true, it means the accused is innocent due to an unusual form of mental illness, not that they’re getting away with being guilty. The fact that it’s sometimes possible for people who aren’t insane to misuse or try to misuse it, doesn’t alter the fact that the verdict exists in just about every jurisdiction because it can be true.
I’m honestly surprised there are any grounds for disputing the verdict of insanity in this case, when the experts have agreed and it would seem completely obvious she was not OK in the various reports of how she was behaving at the time. I would be interested to know if anyone is raising any particular concerns about the verdict?
I hope the hospital will be able to stabilise her such that she can be released sooner rather than later, and I’m very glad they’ve been able to place her close to her community.
Ruth Miller
I worry Mrs. Miller will stop taking her medications once released even if that’s likely several years from now. I’ve seen it happen many times. People think, “Gee, I’m feeling so much better now.” and the remaining meds are then tossed out. They need to impress upon her that medications are the “new normal” for her. That not taking them every day for life could mean she will once again become delusional and do something harmful to herself or others. I can’t begin to imagine the stigma that goes along with being Amish & having to take these medications. I’m sure it doesn’t happen very often. All I can do is pray that she gets the help she deserves and let God handle the rest.
Why no head covering?
Even if she has been excommunicated by the Amish church because of her actions, would not most Amish women still wear the head covering and maybe a bonnet when going outside the house? In the courtroom pictures she is not wearing anything on her head and is this her decision or is it not allowed in the courtroom or does she not have access to a head covering while incarcerated? Maybe someone who knows her personally can respond with some answers because hopefully the state is not prohibiting her from wearing what what most Amish woman would believe to be proper religious attire.