A US mother will spend the rest of her life behind bars after she was found guilty of drowning her two youngest daughters two years ago.
According to authorities, Jokeera Viola Morgan drowned 19-month old Zyra and 8-month old Savannah in a plastic washtub in her home on Oct. 6, 2015.
The Savannah Morning News reports that evidence showed the mother undressed one of her daughters and held her in a tub of water until she stopped moving. She then did the same with the other child before calling 911.
An autopsy confirmed the two young girls died by drowning.
As PEOPLE reports, Morgan was found guilty but mentally ill of malice murder by drowning. The 28-year-old will receive mental health treatment at a state prison.
During the trial, the prosecution and defence argued over whether the mother understood the morality of her actions.
Morgan’s attorney, Todd Martin, told jurors that the mother had a history of mental illness and had received treatment in hospital in the past. Her two older children had also been removed from her care.
“When she killed her children, she didn’t know right from wrong,” Martin said. “She thought she was doing the right thing.”
But prosecutor Jenny Guyer told the court: “The defendant knew when she murdered her babies that it was wrong.”
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