Modesto mother found guilty of killing 4-year-old daughter. Insanity phase begins
A Stanislaus County jury on Friday found Mina Nazari guilty of murdering her 4-year-old daughter and attempting to kill her son, concluding the first phase of a trial centered on mental illness and intent.
The case stems from a 2023 incident in which authorities said Nazari fatally stabbed her 4-year-old daughter inside the family’s home after attempting hours earlier to kill her 10-year-old son. Prosecutors argued the attacks were deliberate, while the defense has maintained Nazari was experiencing a severe psychotic episode and believed she was acting to save her children.
At the trial, Nazari wore a black and white shirt and sat quietly next to a court-appointed interpreter. She mostly looked straight ahead, turning to the gallery three times to smile at a family member.
Jurors returned guilty verdicts on all counts, including first-degree murder, after resolving an initial issue with inconsistent verdict forms.
The jury found Nazari guilty of:
- First-degree murder in the death of her daughter, with findings that the killing was willful, deliberate and premeditated, and that she used a knife
- Child abuse causing death
- Attempted murder of her son, also with a finding of premeditation and use of a knife
- Assault with a deadly weapon
- Child endangerment for exposing her son to the killing.
Attorneys in the case declined to comment following the verdicts, as the trial is ongoing.
Case now shifts to insanity phase
Immediately after the verdicts were read, the trial moved into a second phase, where jurors must decide whether Nazari was legally insane at the time of the crimes.
Unlike the first phase, where prosecutors had to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, the burden now shifts to the defense to show, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Nazari was legally insane.
Judge Ruben Villalobos instructed jurors that defendant are legally insane if, due to a mental disease or defect, they either did not understand the nature and quality of their actions or did not understand that their actions were morally or legally wrong.
Jurors were also told that a finding of insanity would not result in immediate release, but instead commitment to a state hospital for treatment.
Defense: schizophrenia and ‘command hallucinations’
In opening statements for the insanity phase, defense attorney Franz Criego argued that Nazari was suffering from severe mental illness, specifically schizophrenia, at the time of the attacks.
“This case is about severe mental illness,” Criego told jurors. “At the moment she committed these tragic acts, she was unable to understand the nature of her actions or distinguish right from wrong.”
Criego said the evidence will show Nazari experienced so-called command hallucinations and paranoid delusions, including beliefs that her children were in danger and needed to be “saved.”
He told jurors they will hear from a forensic psychiatrist, review medical records and learn about prior psychiatric hospitalizations and treatment.
Prosecution: focus on behavior, awareness
Prosecutor Fawn Smolak told jurors they still should consider the broader evidence presented during the trial when deciding whether Nazari was legally insane.
She pointed to Nazari’s behavior following the crimes, including statements she made to investigators, as evidence relevant to whether she understood her actions.
Smolak said jurors should evaluate whether Nazari knew what she was doing and whether she understood it was wrong.
Expert testimony begins
The defense began presenting evidence Friday afternoon, calling forensic psychiatrist Dr. Howard Terrell as its first witness.
Terrell testified that Nazari suffers from schizophrenia and has a history of auditory hallucinations and psychotic episodes.
He told jurors that Nazari reported hearing voices, including what she believed to be God, instructing her that she needed to kill her children to save them from a worse fate.
According to Terrell, Nazari believed her children could become “zombies” and that killing them was necessary to prevent them from suffering eternal damnation.
Terrell testified that Nazari had severe psychosis, poor contact with reality and was unable to distinguish right from wrong at the time of the crimes.
He also said there was no evidence she was faking or exaggerating symptoms.
What’s next
Testimony in the insanity phase is expected to continue this week, with jurors scheduled to return Tuesday afternoon.
Once both sides present evidence and closing arguments, the jury will deliberate again to determine whether Nazari was legally insane at the time of the crimes.
That decision will determine whether she is sentenced to prison or committed to a state hospital for treatment.
This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 3:00 PM.
