Teen not criminally liable for stabbing

PORTLAND – A 16-year-old girl who stabbed a 20-year-old female friend was mentally ill and not criminally responsible for her actions, a judge ruled.

District Court Judge Peter Goranites ruled Monday after two expert witnesses testified that the girl believed she and her friend would become angels if they died together. The girl had been charged with attempted murder.

The verdict would require an adult be committed to a mental hospital until the court determines it’s safe for the person to return to society.

Because she’s a juvenile, however, the girl will no longer be under the supervision of the court or face time in a juvenile correction center because the Maine Juvenile Code doesn’t address a teen found to be mentally ill, prosecutors said.