An Aurora woman will be evaluated by state officials to determine her mental health needs after a judge found her not guilty of murder by reason of insanity.
Amy Zuniga, 46, was charged with the October 2013 murder of her cousin, 68-year-old Reynaldo Galvan, and the attempted murder of her husband.
Aurora police were called to the Zuniga home on Front Street in the early morning hours of Oct. 4, 2013, to find Galvan dead in the basement with a knife in his chest. Zuniga’s husband also suffered injuries from a knife attack.
Zuniga made strange comments, including a reference to herself as Jesus, when police arrived. She also threatened to harm herself, authorities previously said.
Investigators found two knives, multiple pill bottles and notebooks filled with sketches and song lyrics she apparently wrote, during a search of her home, according to court records.
On Wednesday, Kane County Judge Clint Hull found Zuniga not guilty by reason of insanity to the charges to conclude a stipulated bench trial that centered on information from a doctor who performed a psychological examination last year.
Zuniga’s attorney entered an insanity defense last year.
Hull’s ruling means Zuniga will now be evaluated by the Illinois Department of Human Services to determine whether she needs any mental health services. The department would then issue recommendations to Hull to help decide future treatment or other plans for Zuniga.
A May 13 court date has been scheduled for an update on the Department of Human Services’ process.
Dan Campana is a freelance reporter
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