A Leavenworth woman with a history of mental illness was ruled incompetent to stand trial after brutally killing her mother.
In court documents obtained by 41 Action News, 59-year-old Victoria Smith admits to police she killed her mother with a hammer.
Smith is no stranger to Leavenworth police and the 911 dispatchers who took her frantic call on July 3, the night the murder happened.
Neighbors tell 41 Action News her mental illness was well-known.
Leavenworth County District Attorney Todd Thompson said many of his cases stem from mental illness.
“I guarantee you we would have less people in any jail or prison facility if we had better mental health programs because they could be getting treatment,” he said.
The state of Kansas continues to cut money to help people suffering.
On July 1, the state cut its Medicaid money by four percent.
The Guidance Center in Leavenworth, which also serves Atchison and Jefferson counties, lost more than $250,000.
Executive Director Keith Rickard had to cut 19 staff members just this calendar year.
“I’m very concerned," Rickard said. "I’ve spent 26 years in this position and we’ve grown for 25 of those.”
The facility may be growing, but financially is losing.
Over the last decade, the Guidance Center has doubled its number of patients.
Since 2007, it's lost more than $1 million in funding.
"We’re having a hard time today, even meeting the demand for services," Rickard added.
Prosecutors charged Smith with murder, but since she was ruled incompetent for trial, she is awaiting a bed at Larned State Mental Hospital.
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Lexi Sutter can be reached at lexi.sutter@kshb.com.
