A Fulton County judge has issued a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity in the case against Asia Calabrese-Lewis, a mother accused of the drowning death of her one-year-old daughter in Sandy Springs. According to court records, Calabrese-Lewis, diagnosed with Bipolar I Disorder and experiencing a psychotic mania at the time, lacked the capacity to distinguish right from wrong when the incident occurred.
The decision, made last Friday, cited her mental state as the driving factor behind the tragic event. As reported by 11Alive, the court order revealed that Calabrese-Lewis is to undergo a mental evaluation with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. In the interim, she continues to receive treatment for her mental illness at the Fulton County Jail.
The case revolves around a heartrending incident on May 11, 2023, when Calabrese-Lewis was captured by security cameras walking with her daughter, Nirvana Oliver, toward a pond. Police later encountered Calabrese-Lewis "completely nude and dancing explicitly on cars" as told to 11Alive. Shortly thereafter, a desperate search for Nirvana began, which ended in sorrow when she was found in the pond and pronounced deceased at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, located just across I-285.
The saga had gained local attention after the arrest warrant narrated the grim reality as it unfolded on camera, with a six-minute gap that left Nirvana's fate off-screen. "They live in the area. The father showed up … found her there with us and asked where the child was. She responded with something like, ‘She’s in the bottom of the pool.’ We don’t think it's an accidental at this time," according to Sandy Springs Police Sgt. Matt McGinnis's statement to FOX 5 Atlanta. The initial charges against Calabrese-Lewis included two counts of murder and one count of first-degree cruelty to children, but these were ultimately dropped following the judge's ruling. Calabrese-Lewis will now receive psychiatric treatment.
