Pomona

A Rowland Heights woman who apparently believed she was obeying instructions from God when she killed her two infant children has been committed for an indefinite period to a state mental hospital.

Soledad Torres Fernandez, 24, has the right to periodic hearings to determine whether she has regained her sanity and whether she should be released from Patton State Hospital, where she could spend the rest of her life. In Pomona Superior Court on May 29, she pleaded no contest to two counts of first degree murder and Judge Sam Cianchetti found her not guilty by reason of insanity, committing her the same day.

“In my opinion this is as clear a case of insanity as you’re going to get,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Joel Hoffman said.

The killings occurred at the woman’s home in January, 1984. Autopsies showed that Fabian Torres Fernandez Jr., 7 months old, had been drowned and showed signs of beating, and Ruby Torres Fernandez, 2, died of multiple stab wounds.