A Carter County woman found not guilty by reason of insanity in the death of her father will be committed to a state mental health facility following a court hearing on Wednesday.

Sonya Elaine Babb, 55, of the Powder Branch community, appeared in Carter County Criminal Court on Monday for a committal hearing.

Babb faced a charge of first degree murder in connection with the January 2016 shooting death of her father, 77-year-old Kenneth Younce. In July, Babb’s attorney Assistant Public Defender Melanie Sellers and District Attorney General Tony Clark informed the court they had reached an agreement regarding Babb’s case. The two attorneys filed a Memorandum of Understanding with the court detailing an agreement that Babb was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Judge Stacy Street approved the agreement and noted he also agreed with the decision by the defense and District Attorney’s Office.

Prior to that agreement, Babb was evaluated by several mental health professionals during the course of the court proceedings against her. “No expert who has examined Sonya Babb has opined that she was able to appreciate the wrongfulness and nature of her conduct on January 27, 2016,” the Memorandum states.

Following the court approving the agreement, the District Attorney’s Office filed a petition with the court seeking the involuntary committal of Babb to a state mental health facility, which is the procedure in a case where a defendant is found not guilty by reason of insanity. A separate mental health evaluation was performed by order of the court to determine if Babb met state law requirements for involuntary judicial committal.

Both the experts performing that evaluation issued a report stating Babb met the terms for judicial committal and they recommended she be committed to a mental health facility.

“The court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant is mentally ill and because of this mental illness poses a substantial likelihood of serious harm, either to herself or to others,” Street said when issuing the committal order on Wednesday. “All available less drastic alternatives, including outpatient services, and any other alternative to commitment to a mental hospital are unsuitable in this particular case given the recommendation of the treating physicians as well as the seriousness of the crime for which she stood charged.”

By order of the court, Babb will now be committed to the Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute. Should there come a time where MBMHI or its mental health professionals feel Babb no longer meets the criteria for judicial commitment, they must file a petition with the court and a hearing will be held on whether or not to release Babb to outpatient mental health care, Street said.