Report: Judge orders release of mentally ill woman accused of throwing infant out window

EVERETT -- A woman accused of tossing a 1-year-old child out of a two-story window has been released from custody because Western State Hospital doesn't have room to treat her mental illness, the Everett Herald reported Monday.

Snohomish County Superior Court Bruce Weiss reluctantly ordered the release of Beteha Kebede from the Snohomish County Jail with three days of medication and orders to seek mental health treatment, the newspaper said.

According to the Herald, Weiss ordered that the woman be fitted with a GPS bracelet so her whereabouts can be monitored. The judge told Kebede she is forbidden from living with children under 16 and she must stay away from any child under the age of 10.

Kebede, 39, was visiting relatives in Lynnwood when accused of throwing a 1-year-old boy out a second-story window in July. Kebede told detectives she threw the child out the window to protect herself and her own children, court papers said. She has a history of mental illness.

The boy’s skull was fractured and he suffered brain injuries, police reported at the time.

Weiss said he couldn't keep Kebede confined without treatment. Kebede is expected to be admitted to Western State Hospital by the end of the month, the Herald said. It will be up to her to make it to the hospital.