Kimberlynn Bolanos, who in 2013 was found with her fatally stabbed 5-month-old son in a hotel bathroom and subsequently admitted to a psychiatrist that she believed she was battling forces behind major world issues, is now set for further mental evaluation after gouging out her own eyes while behind bars. The case, which has seen Bolanos undergo nearly a dozen psychiatric evaluations, has repeatedly been met with the verdict that she was mentally fit at the times of both the murder and her confession, as reported by ABC7 Chicago.
In the latest turn of events, Judge Charles Burns ordered a new evaluation for Bolanos. The judge has been instructed by an appeals court to reassess Bolanos's mental fitness, particularly in the wake of her extreme act of self-mutilation while serving her sentence. After gouging out her eyes, even while on medication, the appeals court noted, "Even on medication, her mental state was still sufficiently severe to lead her to gouge out her eyes," recognizing the severity of her mental illness and calling for further inspection into the "chilling" case, as covered by Chicago Sun-Times.
Since her incarceration, Bolanos has been hospitalized frequently, making it challenging for her to work on her defense. This is among the serious concerns that fueled Bolanos to appeal her 38-year prison sentence, citing the compounded impact of postpartum psychosis on her pre-existing mental health issues. At a recent court appearance in January, described by ABC7 Chicago, Bolanos was brought in shackled and claimed to be pregnant, a belief her lawyers have stated is a delusion.
