The Orange County Superior Court dismissed murder charges against a woman who killed her young child and injured her husband on UNC campus housing in 2017, declaring her legally insane.
Ebony Olowu, 36, was charged with murder, attempted murder, felony child abuse and assault in the August 2017 attack that left her 5-year-old son, Israel, dead.
In 911 calls, Olowu’s husband said she stabbed him multiple times in the face while he was sleeping. Authorities found a large kitchen knife inside the entrance of the family’s apartment and found the boy dead on the living room floor.
Mental health experts testified Olowu couldn’t understand her actions because of long-term depression and a psychosis that followed her second miscarriage in July 2017.
“She experiences God telling her that the end days are at hand and that the antichrist has arrived, that the world is essentially full of evil,” said George Corbin, a forensic psychiatrist in Raleigh, according to WRAL. “God tells her that she and Israel and [her husband] Victor are angels and that it is time for them to come to heaven. But they have to die to go to heaven.”
Olowu will be committed to Central Regional in Butner, North Carolina, for treatment.
“Our responsibility is to seek justice, not necessarily to seek convictions,” Orange County Assistant District Attorney Jeff Nieman told WRAL. “It’s to seek a just outcome, and given that the unanimous opinion of the psychiatric experts was that she was legally insane at the time of the offense, there really wasn’t an argument to be made contrary to those opinions.”
Related Stories
‹

Police: String of Vehicle Break-Ins Reported at UNCA recent rash of vehicle break-ins led the UNC Police Department to issue an Alert Carolina to the campus community on Wednesday.

Parker, Teague Dorms Set for Replacement in UNC's Housing Renewal; BOT Approves Initial FundsAs UNC revamps its on-campus housing to build more units and update residence halls, Parker and Teague are set to be town down for a new dorm.

UNC: 'Walk Out' Protest for Palestine Leads to 'Significant Damage' of BuildingsUNC Students for Justice in Palestine held a demonstration on campus Thursday, which led to the vandalism of several university buildings.

UNC’s Plan to Install License Plate Readers Sparks Privacy ConcernsUNC recently began a new contract with Flock Safety, a private company, to install 23 license plate reader cameras around campus.

UNC Police: String of Vehicle Break-Ins Reported at Friday Center Parking LotUNC Police reported a parking lot near campus as the site of a string of motor vehicle break-ins on Friday morning.

Latest String of Electric Scooter Thefts Reported on UNC's CampusFor the third time in a year, the UNC Police Department is investigating an uptick in electric scooter thefts around campus.

911 Call to UNC Police About Shooting: 'I Know Exactly Who It Is'Editor’s Note: This story contains details that some readers may consider graphic or disturbing. “Close the doors and stay inside! There’s an active shooter!” The 911 call reporting gunshots and the presence of an armed person at Caudill Laboratories on UNC campus came shortly after 1 p.m. on Monday. In the partially-redacted audio shared by […]

UNC: 1 Faculty Member Dead in Campus Lab ShootingUPDATE: This article has been updated to reflect the names of the victim and suspect, which UNC released on Tuesday morning. A UNC faculty member died from gunshot wounds, according to university authorities, during a shooting on Monday in a lab building at the heart of campus. UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and campus Chief of […]

UNC Police Receive Report of Rape, Search for SuspectEditor’s Note: The following story contains mention of sexual assault that may be disturbing to some readers. The UNC Police Department alerted the campus community to a report of a rape on Monday afternoon, saying a suspect is being sought and is not apprehended. Through an Alert Carolina message issued at 5:37 p.m., campus investigators […]

String of Vehicle Break-Ins Leads UNC Police to Issue AlertAfter a series of vehicle break-ins on campus, the UNC Police Department issued a warning to the university’s community Tuesday about securing their valuables and locking their cars. The university department issued an Alert Carolina message on Tuesday morning to inform students, faculty and staff about a string of incidents at the Dogwood Parking Deck […]
›