Melissa Huckaby, who on Tuesday was formally charged in the murder, rape and kidnapping of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, attempted suicide days before her arrest, according to a report aired on local radio this morning.
The report, broadcast on SF Bay Area local radio station KCBS, indicated that Melissa Huckaby, 28, was hospitalized after swallowing three X-Acto knife blades mere days before her arrest in the Sandra Cantu case.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday Melissa Huckaby was formally charged with murder with the special circumstances of rape with a foreign object, lewd or lascivious conduct with a child under 14, and murder in the course of a kidnapping. While the charges were read Huckaby trembled and cried.
Melissa Huckaby has been ordered to return to court on April 24 to enter a plea.
During the period before that date, it is expected that Huckaby will have a psychiatric examination, in a likely attempt to bolster a possible insanity defense. That defense may not hold much water, however.
Dr. Michael Welner, a forensic psychiatrist and chairman of The Forensic Panel, told CBS News:
"This is a suspect who made numerous efforts to cover up her previous remarks and those are the kind of things that make an insanity plea harder. She had communication with media and other people that was rational to them. That may get in the way of some of what she's doing."
The "special circumstances" attached to the murder charge means that Melissa Huckaby may face either life in prison without parole or the death penalty in Sandra Cantu's case.
There has still been no word on a motive.
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Comments
#1 Melissa Huckaby
No sympathy for her. Her attempt at suicide proves she knew what she had done. I say she should be put on death row.
#2 Melissa
I feel nothing but disgust for this monster. If she wanted to kill herself, then she should've died before murdering and raping a child!