A Muswellbrook woman has been found not criminally responsible for the killing of her friend, after a court heard she was in the grip of a serious untreated psychotic disorder at the time of the killing.
The court heard Jo Ann Graham killed Diedre Folpp, who had let her move into her Muswellbrook home in October 2023 after Graham became homeless. Graham had reportedly been experiencing psychotic episodes for some time, including delusions and paranoia, and had a documented hospital admission for psychosis earlier in 2023.
In the days surrounding the killing, witnesses and police observed increasingly erratic and delusional behaviour from Graham, and she was briefly detained by police a number of times between October 28, the last time Deidre Folpp was seen alive, and October 30, the day her body was found under a blanket.
Two psychiatrists who assessed Graham agreed she was suffering a psychotic disorder that was not solely attributable to substance use. Both prosecution and defence agreed she was not criminally responsible for her actions, based on expert analysis.
The court entered a special verdict of act proven but not criminally responsible. Graham was ordered to be detained in a correctional facility or other setting as determined by the Mental Health Review Tribunal.
Justice Lonergan acknowledged victim impact statements from Folpp’s sister and daughter, describing the family’s “unimaginable fear” and “heartache.”
