CONROE, Texas (AP) _ Attorneys for a Texas nurse accused of fatally shooting a mother and speeding away with the dying woman’s newborn son say they plan to evaluate her mental state.
Court-appointed lawyers for Verna McClain say she was confused, visibly upset and mumbling to them during a brief court hearing Thursday.
McClain is accused of shooting 28-year-old Kala Golden in the parking lot of a suburban Houston pediatric clinic and abducting Golden’s 3-day-old son. The infant was later found safe.
Investigators say McClain recently suffered a miscarriage and was reportedly desperate to find a child. The 30-year-old has three children.
During Thursday’s hearing, the judge delayed McClain’s bond hearing until Monday to give her attorneys more time.
She’s being held on a capital murder charge, which could carry a death sentence.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)