Woman accused of stabbing her child at St. George motel appears for competency hearing

ST. GEORGE — A woman accused of stabbing her 8-year-old son with scissors at a Motel 6 on Aug. 26 was determined to be competent to continue criminal proceedings after a hearing held Thursday morning at the St. George Courthouse.

Megan Michelle Stewart, 28, appears for a court hearing at Purgatory Correctional Facility, Dec. 9, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Utah Courts Pool, St. George News

Stewart, 28, and her attorney Michael Lastowski, appeared before Judge John Walton in 5th District Court via video from Purgatory Correctional Facility on charges of first-degree attempted murder, second-degree child abuse and a third-degree offense of violating a previous protective order. 

Walton said a report from psychologist Lindsey North determined that Stewart was competent to proceed with the next phase of the case. The judge waived the preliminary hearing and set Stewart’s next hearing for a diminished capacity review on Feb. 10.

After the judge’s action, Stewart, in tears, said her only words of the hearing: “Thank you, your honor.”

Under Utah law, competency has to do with the defendant’s state of mind during criminal proceedings; however, the diminished capacity review concerns a defendant’s state during an alleged crime.

A “diminished capacity” plea is different from an insanity plea, which usually results in a “not guilty” verdict. A diminished capacity plea could result in a conviction of a lesser offense. 

St. George Police secure the area at a Motel 6 after an 8-year-old was allegedly attacked there, St. George, Utah, Aug. 26, 2021 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News

Police claimed that Stewart admitted to stabbing her son in a room at the motel, saying she told the officer, “I had to” and she did it for “Satan” or “Mother Mary.” 

According to the probable cause statement filed in support of her arrest, an employee earlier saw the child running between two buildings at the motel, yelling that his mom was trying to suffocate him. His mother told the employee, “Don’t worry, he just got his butt whooped” and returned with the child to the room. 

Two hours later, a housekeeper saw the boy outside the room claiming his mom was trying to kill him. 

The boy later recovered from the attack after being transported to St. George Regional Hospital.  

Stewart had been under a protective order to not be with the child after previously being accused of abusing the child. She was also on probation for a previous DUI in Colorado and for a guilty plea to a shoplifting charge in Washington County in February. She also had an active warrant in Washington County for domestic violence-related charges.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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