Dena Schlosser saw a TV news story about a boy being mauled by a lion and thought it was a sign of the apocalypse, a delusion that led her to sever the arms of her baby, David Self said.

"She felt she was basically commanded, in essence, to cut Maggie's arms off and her own arms off, and her legs and her head, and in some way to give them to God," said Self, who evaluated Schlosser in the months after her arrest.

Police found Schlosser in her living room, covered in blood, still holding a knife and listening to a hymn. She had sliced deep into her own shoulder and chopped off her baby's arms. Schlosser, 37, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, and her attorneys are trying to prove she did not know right from wrong when Margaret, also known as Maggie, was killed.

Prosecutors, who are not seeking the death penalty, argue Schlosser knew what she was doing and should be sent to prison for life. If found not guilty, Schlosser would be hospitalized.

Husband Testifies in Case of Woman Who Cut Off Baby's Arms

FoxNews.com

February 14, 2006

A woman accused of killing her infant daughter by cutting off the girl's arms had said a few days earlier that she wanted to "give the baby to God," her husband testified Tuesday.

Dena Schlosser, 37, was leaving church about a week before the girl's November 2004 death when she said she wanted to give Maggie to pastor Doyle Davidson, John Schlosser said.

"She said, 'I want to give the baby to Doyle.' She said 'I want to give the baby to God,"' said Schlosser, who has filed for divorce.

He also testified at his wife's murder trial that she showed other disturbing behavior following Maggie's birth — including cutting her own wrists with scissors — but that he didn't worry too much or take her to counseling. John Schlosser said she had had bouts with depression after the birth of their other two daughters.

The testimony came on the second day of Dena Schlosser's murder trial, which hinges on whether she knew right from wrong. Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.

The defense has entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Dena Schlosser was arrested in 2004 after she told a 911 operator she had severed her baby's arms. Police found Schlosser in the living room, covered in blood, still holding a knife.

On Monday, she slumped forward and stared at her hands as prosecutors played jurors the recording of the 911 call.

"Exactly what happened?" 911 operator Steve Edwards asked.

"I cut her arms off," Schlosser replied as a gospel song played in the background.

After her arrest, Schlosser was diagnosed with manic depression. In February 2005, a jury deliberated only a few minutes before deciding Schlosser was mentally incompetent to stand trial and she was committed to North Texas State Hospital. But in May, a judge decided Schlosser was competent.

Her two surviving daughters, ages 6 and 9, are in their father's custody.

Schlosser had been accused of child neglect in the months before Margaret's death, but a state investigation found she did not pose a risk to the 10-month-old or her other two daughters.

Texas' troubled Child Protective Services came under intense scrutiny after a number of high-profile child abuse deaths, including the Schlosser case.

The Health and Human Services Commission, which oversees CPS, laid out more than 160 recommendations last year to overhaul the agency.

I wanted to give my child to God: killer mother

Smh.com.au

November 25, 2004

The night before a Texan woman killed her 10-month-old daughter, she told her husband she wanted to "give her child to God".

Court documents say that the following morning, 35-year-old Dena Schlosser called her husband, John, at work.

She told him she had cut off the arms of their youngest daughter, Margaret Elizabeth.

Child Protective Services took custody of the couple's surviving daughters, ages 6 and 9, when their mother was charged with capital murder on Monday.

The agency asked a judge to terminate the parental rights of both parents, stating that Schlosser did not protect Margaret from his wife.

Caseworker Jennifer Leung interviewed Schlosser and, according to an affidavit, said: "He did not appear to be alarmed by the comment or see it as a sign that Schlosser would harm their child."

Schlosser worked at Children's World Learning Centre in Plano before the birth of her daughter in January.

Records show she was treated for postnatal depression for much the year and was deemed stable in August. Schlosser does not have a criminal record.

Her husband phoned the day-care centre on Monday morning after his wife called him and told him she had cut the baby's arms off, court records say.

He asked a woman there to check on his wife while he drove home from work.

According to a 911 recording, a dispatcher called Schlosser, who said: "I cut her arms off."

When police arrived, Schlosser still had a knife in her hand, court records show. Plano Officer David Tilley coaxed the knife away from her. Police found baby Margaret lying in her crib in the back bedroom, her arms severed at the shoulders.

Plano police said on Tuesday they were still searching for answers as to why Schlosser might hurt her baby.

"We don't know," Plano police spokesman Officer Carl Duke said somberly. "It's still too soon for that."

Schlosser has not co-operated with investigators beyond her initial statement, police said.

Investigators who searched the Schlossers' apartment took three Bibles, a letter from the Child Protection Service, linens, a piece of carpet, a Winnie the Pooh rug and a computer, according to an inventory filed with the court.

Depressed mother cuts off baby's arms

Smh.com.au

November 24, 2004

A woman with a history of postnatal depression told an emergency operator she had cut off the arms of her baby daughter, then waited calmly until police arrived.

She was charged with murder after the child died in hospital on Tuesday.

Authorities found Dena Schlosser, 35, and her fatally injured 11-month-old baby after the child's father called a day-care centre and asked them to check on his wife and daughter in the Dallas suburb of Plano.

Schlosser sat calmly in the living room when officers arrived. Her clothes were covered in blood and the baby lay in her crib in a back bedroom.

Schlosser told police she was responsible for the baby's injuries but declined to elaborate, police said.

They did not say whether investigators recovered a knife or another weapon.

"It doesn't appear to be accidental. Both arms were completely severed," police officer Carl Duke said. "She was not talking when she left here. She was very quiet, subdued."

Plano police said the child's injuries were horrifying.

"I've never had to face anything like this before," said Detective Bryan Wood. "And, frankly, I'd never want to. My sympathies go out to the family, and to the first responders on the scene."

After the father's call, day-care workers called the police-fire emergency number and an operator then phoned the mother.

The operator asked Schlosser if there was an emergency, according to audiotapes obtained by Dallas-Fort Worth TV station KDFW. Schlosser calmly responded: "Yes."

"Exactly what happened?" the operator asked.

"I cut her arms off," Schlosser replied, as the hymn He Touched Me played in the background.

Child-protection authorities said the mother had shown signs of postnatal depression earlier this year, but there had been no signs of violence.

Schlosser lived at the apartment with other family members, including her two older daughters.

The girls, aged 6 and 9, were at school and their father was at work when police arrived, Officer Duke said.

Texas Child Protective Services was called to the home in January after Schlosser was seen running down the street from her apartment, with one of her daughters, then 5, bicycling after her, authorities said.

When police and child protection officers arrived, the child told them her mother had left her then six-day-old baby sister alone in the apartment.

Schlosser appeared at the time to be suffering from postnatal depression and seemed to be having a psychotic episode, said Marissa Gonzales, a child protection spokeswoman.

At the time Schlosser was hospitalised for a few days. Her other two daughters were released to their father, who told authorities Schlosser had been acting strangely since the birth of the third child.

Once she was released from the hospital, Schlosser agreed to seek counselling and see a psychiatrist, Ms Gonzales said.

Caseworkers continued to visit the family through the spring and summer, and the case was closed August 9.

"There were never any indications of violence with this family," Ms Gonzales said. "The children had always been healthy, happy and cared for."

Ms Gonzales said child protection officers were interviewing Schlosser's other children and would talk to the father before deciding whether to remove the children from the home.

Neighbours said she seemed to be a loving, attentive mother.

Dena Livingston, 43, said she saw Schlosser making her rounds with the stroller on Monday. She saw her on Friday waiting with her baby outside the school the older girls attend.

"She didn't give off like she was in a distant world or didn't care about the baby," Ms Livingston said.