Woman with severe mental illness found responsible for killing her mother in Ashington

A woman suffering from severe mental illness was responsible for the killing and beheading of her mother, a jury at Newcastle Crown Court found on Wednesday.

Odessa Tammy Carey, 36, was found responsible for the killing of Odessa Carey Snr, 73, at her home in Links View, Ashington, in April of last year.

A post-mortem examination revealed that she had died from severe head injuries, inflicted by blunt force.

The family of the much-loved mother have paid a moving tribute to the 73-year-old.

The Carey family also thanked officers from the Force’s Homicide and Investigation Team (HMET) for their hard work in conducting the investigation and for the support they have received.

Carey Jnr, of no fixed abode, was arrested on suspicion of murdering her mother on April 8 last year.

However, due to her mental health, she was deemed unfit to stand trial and a Hearing of Fact was held instead at Newcastle Crown Court to establish what had happened.

And today the 36-year-old was found to have caused the death of her mother but could not be found guilty of murder as she had been suffering from a schizophrenic episode at the time of the incident.

During the six-day hearing, the court was told how Carey Jnr had received treatment from a young age for a variety of mental health issues and had stopped taking her medication in the weeks prior to killing her mother.

Carey is due to re-appear at Newcastle Crown Court tomorrow.