Lubbock Woman Found Not Guilty by Insanity in Mother’s Alleged Murder

A 54-year-old woman in Lubbock was arrested in March 2020 and accused of murdering her mother. Recently, the courts declared her not guilty by reason of insanity.

The 2020 Arrest of Letitia Smith

Lubbock PD responded to a domestic disturbance call on March 8, 2020 where officers entered the home of 54-year-old Letitia Smith. They were met with a disastrous scene. Items were seemingly thrown all over the floor, Letitia was tossing food from the refrigerator into the air, and the body of her mother, 79-year-old Wanda Porter, was found covered in blood and wrapped in a blanket against the wall.

Officers, after seeing blood covering Letitia's arms and hands, attempted to place her into custody. After resisting arrest and needing to be physically tackled by Lubbock PD, Smith was taken to the Lubbock County Detention Center that day.

Along with the murder charge, Smith was accused of telling her family that she will kill them all just days prior in a separate assault case.

2025 Insanity Plea

Smith recently appeared before the judge, along with her attorney, and pleaded not guilty by insanity. The court approved the motion after years of attempts.

You see, in order for someone charged with a violent crime to be declared not guilty by reason of insanity, they must first admit to committing the act. In this case, the arrest warrant indicated that Smith told the officers explicitly that she killed her mother.

The next step involves a psychiatric report siding in favor of the plea. This was the case as Smith's psychiatrist stated that her behavior was "bizzare, agitated and psychotic" during the day of her arrest.

Smith reportedly believed there were demons out to get her, and her psychiatrist argued Smith believed she was in the right to attack and kill her mother as a result.

After three years of detention, Smith's attorney was able to argue that she was indeed competent to stand trial, but that she met the requirements for insanity.

"There's no winners in this thing," Smith's attorney concluded. "Her mother is still deceased." He added that this emphasized the mental health crises we have in this country and the failure to address them.