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Mom's Mental Health Probed in Children's Cold Case
21 Aug
Summary
- A judge ordered a mental evaluation for Catherine Hoggle.
- Hoggle is accused of killing her two children in 2014.
- Her trial is set for September 24, with an insanity plea possible.
A judge in Montgomery County, Maryland, ordered a mental evaluation for Catherine Hoggle on Thursday, August 21, 2026. Hoggle is accused of killing her two children, Sarah and Jacob, who disappeared in 2014 and whose bodies have never been found. This evaluation could lead to an insanity plea.
Hoggle's defense team intends to pursue a plea of 'Not Criminally Responsible,' which is Maryland's equivalent of an insanity defense. Her next court date is scheduled for September 24, 2026.
For nearly a decade, Hoggle was considered incompetent to stand trial. However, a judge ruled her competent last year, setting her trial for October 2026.
Hoggle's defense has long stated she suffers from severe mental illness, including a history of schizophrenia. The children's father also acknowledged her erratic behavior and paranoia prior to the children's disappearance.
She was released from a psychiatric hospital weeks before being rearrested last year on murder charges and ordered to remain at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital in Jessup, Maryland.
