A DeLand woman accused of attempting to kill her disabled great-granddaughter has pleaded not guilty.
Volusia County Court records show that 69-year-old Deborah Collier entered a written plea of not guilty on Monday, January 5. She was arrested last week after she was allegedly caught in the process of a murder-suicide with her 13-year-old great-granddaughter.
Back on Monday, December 29, shortly after 4:15 p.m., Volusia County Sheriff’s Office deputies began searching for Collier after her family discovered a suicide note, according to VCSO.
A deputy located Collier’s vehicle near Seville, and a traffic stop was conducted. The sheriff’s office stated that Collier was seated behind the steering wheel, and her 13-year-old great-granddaughter was unconscious in the passenger seat.
Collier allegedly told the deputy that her great-granddaughter was “sleeping,” and the girl appeared to be breathing. However, the deputy reportedly saw “white pill residue” on the girl, and she was “totally unresponsive to stimulus.”
The girl was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
During an ensuing investigation, deputies found prescription medication bottles inside Collier’s purse, along with another typed note that indicated that she planned on “ending her and her great-granddaughter’s lives due to the stress caused to the rest of the family,” according to VCSO.
The sheriff’s office learned that the girl requires comprehensive, 24-hour care due to her disabilities. Since the girl’s birth, her great-grandparents – Collier and her husband – have been her sole guardians, and the “constant demands of caretaking” have resulted in the family feeling “significant stress.”
Detectives believe that Collier was opposed to the thought of her great-granddaughter receiving care in an assisted living facility because she allegedly believed that “no one would care for (the girl) like family.”
VCSO states that detectives further believe that due to the hardships associated with her great-granddaughter’s care, Collier “made a plan to end (the girl’s) life followed by her own.”
Collier was arrested and booked into Volusia County Jail on Tuesday, December 30, where she remains in custody without bond. She has been charged with attempted first-degree murder.
Court records show that Collier is being represented by DeLand Attorney Matthew William Thompson. On Thursday, January 22, Collier is scheduled to appear in a Volusia County courtroom at 1:30 p.m. for an arraignment hearing.