A Texas woman, Tamera Laws, confessed to brutally beating and stabbing her grandmother, Doris Novella, to death, claiming that “voices” and a belief that her grandmother was practicing “witchcraft” drove her to commit the murder. Laws, 28, had a courtroom meltdown while testifying in her defense in a San Antonio court for the 2020 murder, where she was hysterical and emotional.
During her testimony, Laws shouted, “Who does that? She’s never done anything for me to want to kill her for.” Prosecutors alleged that Laws choked, stabbed, and struck Novella with a hammer, resulting in her death. Laws’ attorney argued for a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.
Despite her emotional state, Laws admitted to using her hands and a hammer to attack her grandmother. She claimed that she believed “the energy was on me,” and she needed to “beat it out.” She also confessed to stabbing her grandmother in the throat to ensure she was dead.
Laws shared that she was in a state of meth addiction and working as an escort leading up to the murder. She claimed that “voices” were telling her that people, including her grandmother, were trying to kill her. Laws also mentioned that her father had told her that Novella was practicing witchcraft against her.
According to Laws, her father, a convicted felon living in California, had instructed her to kill her grandmother during a phone call on the night of the murder. She recalled asking him, “Are you telling me to kill my grandma right now?” to which he allegedly responded affirmatively, saying she was protecting herself.
While Laws insisted she didn’t believe she was doing something wrong during the murder, prosecutors argued that she was aware of her actions as she attempted to clean up the crime scene and flee. A psychiatrist testified that Laws suffered from mental health issues, leading to psychosis and hallucinations.
Laws opted for a bench trial, waiving her right to a jury trial, where the judge, Catherine Torres Stahl, will decide the outcome. Stahl will also determine whether to accept Laws’ insanity defense. If convicted of murdering Novella, Laws faces up to life in prison.
