Madison McDonald, right, in court on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.
An Irving woman accused of killing her two daughters two years ago has been found guilty of capital murder and will spend the rest of her life in prison.
Madison McDonald walked into an Irving police station at about 10 p.m. on April 5, 2021, and told police she killed her two children, 1-year-old Lillian Mae McDonald and 6-year-old Archer Hammond.
McDonald, who was 30 at the time, called 911 from the police station lobby and told an operator that she drugged and smothered her daughters. When officers met her in the lobby, she claimed her kids were being abused and that she would do anything to protect them, including "eliminating them."
Video released by the Irving Police Department showed McDonald, in shorts, a sweatshirt, and a face mask, walking around the empty lobby for several minutes apparently looking for a phone or a police officer. Nearly 20 minutes after she arrived, three officers can be seen entering the lobby to talk with McDonald.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
Officers were dispatched to the woman's home on the 700 block of Cowboys Parkway and confirmed that both of the children were deceased.
During the trial, the jury was shown video testimony from last April when McDonald told police during questioning that she deserved to be punished for killing her two daughters.
“I'm not OK. I don’t think it's right. I think I do deserve to be arrested and serve time,” McDonald said in the recording.
During several psychological evaluations, McDonald told experts about her extreme paranoia and delusions.
The defense was pursuing a verdict of not guilty based on insanity as a defense. However, a state witness and clinical and forensic psychologist, told the jury McDonald was aware of her actions.
Dr. Lisa Clayton testified McDonald had not received the proper care for her bipolar and schizophrenia diagnosis years before the murders. According to Clayton, McDonald had to change doctors due to changes in her medical insurance one year after her initial diagnosis.
MADISON MCDONALD TRIAL
Sign up for our Breaking Newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
