Woman Who Killed Daughter With Crucifix Sentenced to Life in Prison

An Oklahoma mother has been convicted of life in prison without parole for fatally shoving a crucifix and medallion down her adult daughter's throat. The mother, Juanita Gomez, thought her daughter, Geneva Gomez, was possessed by the devil. Juanita was found guilty of first-degree murder in January.

The 51-year-old was sentenced on Monday for the 2016 incident. Juanita’s attorney’s intends to appeal the ruling.

Gomez pleaded not guilty during the initial sentencing and could have likely lessened her sentence by claiming insanity. Yet a psychologist confirmed that she was fit to stand trial, adding that Gomez was “grossly feigning memory problems to appear incompetent,” according to the Chicago Tribune.

Geneva’s body was found by her boyfriend Francisco, who testified that Geneva’s arms were spread out to appear as if she had been crucified. As reported by the Washington Post, Francisco said of the incident, “You couldn’t even recognize her face at all. Like, that’s not my girl, you know?”

This case is another in a series of stories of people killing their family members for unusual reasons. Earlier in February, a woman in Massachusetts was arrested for killing her two sons as part of a “voodoo” ritual. In January, an Ohio man, Derrick Williams, killed his mother, asserting that he was told to do so by the Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak. He was found not guilty during his sentencing due to claims of insanity. Another man, Arkansas’ Tony Thomas, allegedly murdered his wife for turning off a football game. He was later charged with capital murder.