Redmond woman accused of murdering mother deemed mentally fit to proceed, plea hearing set
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Deschutes County judge has ruled that Redmond murder suspect Jessica Andersch is now mentally fit to aid and assist in her own defense, clearing the way for her to enter a plea.
Andersch is charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of her mother, 56-year-old Tracy Lynn Berry, at the Redmond duplex the two shared earlier this year. Police were called to the southwest Redmond home in June, where Berry was found dead and Andersch was taken into custody at the scene.
During an earlier court appearance, Andersch had an outburst in front of the judge and admitted to the killing, saying she stabbed “the being that represented herself as Tracy Berry” and asking to be sent to prison. Those statements, along with her behavior in court, led to questions about her mental fitness and a decision to send her to the Oregon State Hospital for evaluation and treatment.
While at the Oregon State Hospital, court records show Andersch wrote a letter to the court from the psychiatric facility, asking to be acquitted of the charges. In that letter, she referred to “T. Berry” as a “copy,” echoing the unusual language she used in court, and asked to be “left out of plans to renovate” the Redmond duplex where the killing occurred.
After months under state hospital supervision, evaluators concluded Andersch is now able to understand the proceedings and work with her attorney, a key standard for being found fit to aid and assist in her own defense under Oregon law. Judge Alison Emerson adopted that finding in Deschutes County Circuit Court on Monday, ordering that her criminal case move forward and scheduling her expected plea for Tuesday, December 9th.
Andersch’s case is one of several in Central Oregon where questions of competency have been risen. Officials in the judicial system have noted that mental health evaluations can be difficult to schedule and that treatment beds at facilities like the Oregon State Hospital remain limited — just some of the factors causing delays which ripple through the justice system.
KTVZ News will continue to follow developments in State v. Jessica Andersch as the case returns to open court.
