Testimony turns to mother's mental state in murder trial

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Testimony in the murder trial of a mother accused of burying her newborn baby alive turned to woman's mental state. On Tuesday, attorneys for that mother interviewed doctors who described the defendant as mentally ill.

The defense is getting their first chance in this case to share their side of the story about what happened when that infant died.

Defense attorney George Parnham said, "The challenge is mammoth in a case of this fashion."

Parnham admits he has no small task before him as he and his team present their side of the story to the jury. His client, Narjes Maderrasi, 32, is accused of burying her two-month-old alive. Her attorneys say her long history of mental illness is to blame.

"It's important, I think, that the jury take into consideration both the mental and physical act in making of this determination, if in fact she is guilty of committing capital murder," Parnham said.

Authorities say Maderrasi drowned her son by placing him facedown in a small puddle near Buffalo Bayou in April 2010. Her defense team on Tuesday interviewed two psychiatrists who described the mother as bipolar and manic depressive.

It's a claim ABC-13 legal analyst Joel Androphy says could work in her favor.

"This case is a tossup," Androphy said. "It's going to have to get played out and if the doctors do a good job in testifying, the defense has a good chance of winning."

Dr. Debra Oterman met with the defendant two days after her arrest. She testified that in the weeks leading to the birth of her son, the mother began sinking into a deeper depression. But during cross-examination by the prosecution, the doctor admitted the defendant was not showing any signs of psychotic disorders at the time of the baby's death. It was an attempt to prove that she planned it.

Attorneys say the defendant will not take the stand, but her brother may testify. If convicted, Maderrasi will face an automatic sentence of life without parole. But her attorneys are hoping to persuade the judge to allow the jurors to consider a lesser charge of murder, allowing for a smaller sentence.