LEE CO. WOMAN FOUND NOT GUILTY IN MURDER CASE BY REASON OF INSANITY

  

A Lee County woman accused of murdering her roommate has been found not guilty by reason of insanity. 

The verdict for 44-year-old Jennifer Redden Kramer, charged in the March 2021 stabbing death of 34-year-old Christopher Michael Gonzales, means she will be committed to the state mental health system for up to life.

Investigators with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Rangers say Kramer, who had lived with Gonzales at a residence on County Road 314, confessed to stabbing him multiple times in the chest.  His body was found dumped in a ditch about 10 miles away from where they lived.

Initially after her arrest, Kramer was deemed incompetent to stand trial, but she was later determined competent to stand trial after being committed for treatment at a state hospital.  She has remained in custody since her arrest.

At trial last month in 21^st District Court, presided over by Judge Carson Campbell, Kramer’s attorney raised the insanity defense after testimony from her expert witness who, along with two independent forensic psychiatrists, concluded that Kramer was insane at the time she committed the act.  They found that her actions in conjunction with her mental state met the statutory definition of insanity. 

Lee County Attorney Martin Placke said while he does not believe justice was served for the victim or his family, the State of Texas recognizes the insanity defense, and that Judge Campbell had no choice but to find that Kramer was not guilty by reason of insanity.

Kramer’s commitment requires a yearly review regarding her continued placement in the criminal mental health system.