A 56-year-old woman in Granite City, Illinois, was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the beating death of her father who she believed was a demon or monster.
Diane Kelly, 56, of Granite City, was ordered to the Department of Human Services, where she will be held pending an evaluation for involuntary admission.
The ruling came after both public defender John Rekowski and Madison County Assistant State’s Attorney Crystal Uhe agreed that, had there been a trial, there would have been testimony and physical evidence strongly implicating Kelly.
“The court has had the opportunity to observe the defendant in open court on Feb. 26 and gave her ample opportunity to address the court personally,” explained Circuit Judge Richard Rognarelli. “She was rambling, her thought pattern disorganized and tangential, and she was prone to increased agitation and anxiety. The court has also observed her during this hearing.”
Court Psychologist Daniel Cuneo is to conduct another examination of Kelly, who will be entitled to a hearing after the Illinois Department of Mental Health submits reports.
Kelly told the judge she had been treated unfairly because she had not received the results of a DNA test that would prove the deceased was not her father, Woodrow Dilday, but a demon or monster. The document submitted by the attorneys stated that Kelly called the police regarding the death.
She lived at her parents’ Granite City home, at which the death occurred. She claims she did not kill her father, but a demon or monster inside his body. Dilday was bludgeoned to death with a metal bar.
Kelly has been confined to Alton Mental Health Center in Alton, pending several psychological evaluations.
The judge could have found Kelly not guilty, guilty or not guilty by reason of insanity.
