Judge denies competency evaluation for Iowa mom accused of killing newborn

FORT DODGE, Iowa (KCRG) - On January 27th, a Fort Dodge mother accused of drowning her baby was denied a competency evaluation.

24-year-old Taylor Blaha and 31-year-old Brandon Thoma were charged with first-degree murder in December.

Court documents said Blaha gave birth to the baby in the bathroom of their apartment in November. Police said they then drowned the baby in the bathtub to stop her from crying.

Law enforcement said text messages between Blaha and Thoma revealed that Thoma had discarded the baby’s body in a wooded area near the Kenyon Road Bridge.

Records show that Blaha’s lawyers had sought out a competency hearing after she reportedly refused to cooperate with them. They felt it was “reasonable to question whether there might be any mental disorder that would prevent the defendant from appreciating her charge, understanding the proceedings, or effectively assisting her counsel in her defense.”

However, in the judges ruling, he noted that Blaha was now cooperating with her lawyers and that there was a “...difference in the defendant’s attitude in the week between the last hearing and today’s...”

Her trial is set for February 28th, 2023.

The defense has indicated they will be filling a waiver to push that trial back.