Mother accused of killing son on Halloween found not guilty by reason of insanity

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. (AP) — A Washington state woman accused of killing her 9-year-old son last Halloween was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

The Kitsap Sun reports 48-year-old Amber Lynn James was ordered to a state mental hospital following the Monday court appearance.

She was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Ryan Rosales last Halloween. The boy was found strangled inside a bedroom of a Seabeck home.

Mental health experts had determined that James could not perceive the difference between right and wrong due to a mental illness at the time of her son's death.

State law allows James to be held in custody of the hospital for the rest of her life. She could be released at a later point depending on what doctors conducting her care determine.