A videotape of the hourlong interview was released Tuesday as a judge prepared to send Downey to an indefinite stay in the state mental hospital.Downey has pleaded "guilty except insane" in the slaying of Jessica Helms and will be sentenced Thursday in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Prosecutors initially sought the death penalty, but changed their minds when psychiatrists found Downey insane. She will remain in custody until doctors deem her of sound mind.
On the videotape, Downey, wearing a
white sweat shirt and wrapped in a blanket, continuously fidgeted with a Bible - opening it, clutching it to her chest, holding it in her lap,
At times, Downey nervously rocked back and forth or ran her fingers through her hair. But during others, she smiled and joked with the detective.
The 26-year-old former amphetamine addict expressed no remorse when she described shooting her "Jessie" twice in the head, wrapping her body in a tarp and going home.
When asked to describe her feelings, Downey replied simply, "Thankful that
she was in heaven."
Downey said she had undergone a religious transformation six months before the slaying. And though she had not attended church services in years, she read her Bible daily and addressed her boyfriend, David Ladd, as God.
During restless nights leading up to the killing, Downey said she awoke to messages from God that the world was coming to an end and that she should tell people to repent. Finally, she decided to sacrifice her daughter.
"Jessie was born out of wedlock, and it's like ... I know it was my fault," she said. I should have been married,
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