‘Insane’ Mom Who Drowned Baby Girl Released From Prison, Apparently Now ‘Sane’
Three years ago, Jennifer Bigham drowned her three-year-old daughter in the bathtub, then grabbed a knife and stabbed herself in the chest. The young mom was tried in court and found insane, then sent to prison.
Now, the 26-year-old is free, having been released from prison just a few days ago.
The controversial decision to release Bigham comes after medical examiners proclaimed that she had regained her sanity. However, many are wondering, if she was deemed insane at the time of the murder, why was she sent to prison rather than a mental institution? And how can a person be deemed insane, and then regain their sanity? These are questions prosecutors will try to have answered as they appeal the court’s decision to release the now 26-year-old California woman.
Three years ago, two relatives noticed that Bigham and her little girl were locked inside the bathroom. According to reports, the relatives heard the child splashing and screaming. By the time they got into the bathroom, the child was unconscious. Bigham was locked inside a bedroom with self-inflicted stab wounds.
Bigham was pictured beaming as she left the prison in a blue hospital gown. The now-free 26-year-old can not be charged again with murder due to double-jeopardy laws, but prosecutors plan to appeal the ruling and commit Bigham to a mental facility.
The medical examiners who testified three years ago that the woman was insane are the same who now testify that she merely experienced a “psychotic episode,” and is now sane.
“She’s a danger to society,” said Elaine Casillas, a deputy district attorney, said. “She’s not been evaluated properly.”
What do you think of this strange case?


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Jan 25, 2013
anyone that murders a child needs to be immediately castrated, womens case, they need to have a mandatory tubal ligation, they cant argue against this.
Jan 25, 2013
3 years for killing her child.. omg that's wrong she purposely murdered her baby should never get out of prison.
Jan 25, 2013
I think 3 years is b-crap. she should at least be in jail/institute for 20 at least.
Jan 25, 2013
Thats the commy country of california for ya.
Jan 25, 2013
A life sentence is required.
Jan 25, 2013
The system is insane if it believes she was insane and is now cured and that smile looks sociopathic!
Jan 25, 2013
She should be forced to have her tubes tied as part of her terms for release. she should never be allowed any more victims!
Jan 25, 2013
Put her in an institute throw away the key
Jan 25, 2013
Put her in a room with just a mattress Though
Jan 25, 2013
this is what is wrong with the system,, these so called dr's don't care if she is insane or sane,, just get her out of the system,, she will be back,, and this time she may kill more than one,, a person deemed insane,, does not become sane,,
Jan 25, 2013
Anyone with a smile like that is insane. She murdered her own child. She should have got the chair.
Jan 25, 2013
Of course, more slaps on the wrist for these predators. The jails have more marijuana smokers than people like this. What if she "loses her sanity" again? Since it jus comes goes. And if she"ll do that to her own defeneless baby than nobodys child is safe. Absolutely HATE crimes against children!
Jan 25, 2013
Take one look at her-she's freaking nuts and a danger to anyone and everyone in society-if she started with drowning her own child what's next on her list? A bunch of innocent school children by some unfortunate chance-WHO the frick allowed this to happen-I give up on our court system-and the stupid idiots who allowed this to happen…next death is on them.
Jan 25, 2013
I think if they release her she should have her ovaries and uterus removed. We wouldn't want her to have another psychotic episode.
Jan 25, 2013
"Mothers" like this always seem
Seem to have a bunch of kids.
Jan 25, 2013
I agree with you 500%-her smile tells it all
Jan 25, 2013
If she can't charged because of double jeopardy law then just get her off the streets away from children
Jan 25, 2013
For all you bleeding hearts against abortion, wouldn't it have been better all around if Jennifer bingham had been aborted! !
Jan 25, 2013
She needs to have them removed so that she doesn't have the hormones in her system anymore. Just tying her tubes would not prevent the mood changes.
Jan 25, 2013
You are a bitch She should have been on meds all along
Jan 25, 2013
I'm not a blind, stupid bitch.
Jan 25, 2013
I love how everyone is judging and making statements even though they know nothing more than 3 paragraphs of so called facts. I'd like to have her evaluated by a mental health expert. I am sure people go through psychotic episodes and then recover – mental health is like any other health – you can have cancer and then not with treatment. I'd also like to know why she was not under psychiatric care and in prison instead. There are too many unanswered questions for me – or anyone else to make a judgement on this womans life.
Jan 25, 2013
Psychotic smile, she looks so happy. You would think she would be grieving for her baby girl. I can't believe they let her out. Should of been life w/o parole.
Jan 25, 2013
TUBAL LIGATION? hey u idiot a tubal ligation can be reversed what she needs is a TOTAL HYSTERECTOMY! Amy, how much more do u feel you NEED to know before u realize this bitch is s nut job. TYTYTY karen andrade
Debbi borden you should be bitch slapped if u think abortion is the answer to n e situation! YES! YOU ARE BLIND , STUPID AND A BITCH.
Jan 25, 2013
It's entirely possible that they gave her appropriate medication that helped quiet the voices in her head, or whatever it was that led her kill her child. Anyone who knows anything about the mentally ill knows that the right combination of chemicals will normalize them — at least for awhile. The real questions are why she's in jail in the first place (if she's "crazy"), and what are the conditions of her parole. And who signed off on it.
Jan 25, 2013
BULL SHIT
Jan 25, 2013
Anyone who kills a child deserves the death penalty.
Jan 25, 2013
Really! How convenient that 3 years ago she was insane and now she's not. Why didn't she end up in a mental institution if she was insane? Was she even evaluated by a psychiatrist before she was released? She should never be allowed to have any more children.
Jan 25, 2013
she killed her baby their should be in prison for at less 5or 10 years she should never be allowed to have children never never.
Jan 25, 2013
This is ass-backwards! Who came up with putting her in prison. If someone is incompetent, they spend time in a mental institution and THEN when they are "competent to stand trial" (sound familiar?), they stand trial and then go to prison – hopefully for life! WTH? Let's pray that the prosecutor succeeds in getting the ruling overturned and she gets committed for life.
Jan 25, 2013
If the courts set her free from prison, we all know that you can't cure insanity over night, She should be made to live the remainder of her natural life in a mental Hosp. under 24 lock down. If she is so insane, then put her with the insane. I agree with the castration, but do what the Germans did in WW2. Fill them full of cement. see how many babies they have to kill then.
Jan 25, 2013
IF SHE WAS SUPPOSED 2 BE CRAZY SHE SHOULD BE IN A MENTAL INSTITUTION FOR THE REST OF HER MISERABLE LIFE BUT I WOULD HAVE PREFERRED THE DEATH PENALTY WHERE ALK MOTHERS SHOULD GO FOR KILLING THEIR CHILDREN!!!!!
Jan 25, 2013
she should NOT be released.
Jan 25, 2013
If she had a "psychotic episode" it means she is psycholic and it can happen again and again and again. It didn't happen in prison of course, because she was in a controlled environment. Once on the street, it is highly probable that the diagnosis of psychotic just doesn't disappear. She can manage it with meds and control it with cbt, but what if she forgets to take her meds or choses not to or not to use her cbt? Dang, did she even get therapy in prison? As a mental health therapist, I say this is a failure of our judicial system. Let's hope the appeal pulls through so she can finaly get in the setting she needs with the help she needs to protect the public. What we need is something like Megan's Law for released murderers.
Jan 25, 2013
She got away with murder… she played the system…AND WON!
Jan 28, 2013
This is disgusting. The penal system is failing. Lock this woman up for life. The murder of a helpless chld is not only heartbreaking but heartless as well.