In Court, Mom Blurts Out Guilt in Son’s Death
A Minnesota doctor accused of stabbing her son to death blurted out in court Tuesday that she is guilty, saying she planned to commit the murder and wanted to be punished for it, and asked for a death sentence or life in prison, prosecutors said.
A San Mateo County Superior Court judge did not accept the outburst as a guilty plea, and instead had Donna Anderson removed from court when she refused to stop talking during the hearing. He granted a defense attorney’s request to have a psychiatrist evaluate Anderson.
Anderson, 48, is being held in the San Mateo County Jail’s medical ward on charges that she stabbed her son, Stephen Burns, to death on Feb. 24 in her ex-husband’s Burlingame home. She also is accused of stabbing her ex-husband, Frank Burns, while he tried to restrain her.
Anderson’s court-appointed attorney, Jeff Boyarsky, has said he may pursue an insanity defense.
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