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Solved case · 2004
Also known as Joshua Laney · Luke Laney
The short answer
In May 2003, 8-year-old Joshua Laney and 6-year-old Luke Laney were killed by their mother, Deanna Laney, in New Chapel Hill, Texas. She was found not guilty by reason of insanity in a 2004 trial and committed to a state hospital until 2012.
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Suggest coverage for Killing of Joshua and Luke LaneyThe case file
On the night of May 9, 2003, at approximately 11:30 pm, Deanna Laney woke her 8-year-old son, Joshua, and took him to the yard of the family's home in New Chapel Hill, Texas. There, she lifted a large rock over her head and brought it down on his skull, fatally injuring him. She then dragged her 6-year-old son, Luke, to the same area of the yard and killed him in the same manner. Afterward, she attempted to kill her youngest son, 14-month-old Aaron, in his crib using a stone. Aaron was found alive, though he had sustained severe head injuries; a pillow had been placed over his face.
During the subsequent investigation, Laney told authorities that God had ordered her to kill her sons. She was a member of an Assemblies of God church, where she sang in the choir. Approximately a year before the killings, she reportedly told fellow churchgoers that the world was coming to an end and that God had instructed her to "get her house in order." She later told a psychiatrist that she hoped she and Andrea Yates — another Texas mother who killed her children and was found not guilty by reason of insanity in a separate case — would work together as "God's only witnesses" at the end of the world.
Five mental health experts evaluated Laney in connection with the case: two retained by the prosecution, two by the defense, and one appointed by the judge. All five concluded that she suffered from psychotic delusions at the time of the killings that left her unable to distinguish right from wrong. Based on this evaluation, a Smith County court found her not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2004 trial.
Following the verdict, Laney was committed to Kerrville State Hospital, where she remained for eight years before her release in May 2012. Her release was subject to a set of conditions, including a prohibition on unsupervised contact with minors and a requirement that she submit to regular drug testing to ensure compliance with required medication.
This case is one of several instances of filicide in Texas that have drawn public and legal attention, alongside cases involving other individuals convicted or adjudicated in connection with the deaths of their children in the state.
4 dated entries · 2002–2012
Approximately one year before the killings, Deanna Laney reportedly told fellow churchgoers that the world was coming to an end and that God had told her to get her house in order.
At roughly 11:30 pm, Deanna Laney, later found not guilty by reason of insanity, killed her sons Joshua, 8, and Luke, 6, by striking them with a large rock in the yard of the family's home in New Chapel Hill, Texas; she also attempted to kill 14-month-old Aaron, who survived with severe head injuries.
A Smith County, Texas court found Deanna Laney not guilty by reason of insanity.
Deanna Laney was released from Kerrville State Hospital after eight years of commitment, subject to conditions including no unsupervised contact with minors and mandatory drug testing.
3 named in this file
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
8-year-old son killed by his mother, Deanna Laney, on May 9, 2003.[3]
6-year-old son killed by his mother, Deanna Laney, on May 9, 2003.[3]
Found not guilty by reason of insanity by a Smith County court in 2004 for killing her sons Joshua and Luke and attempting to kill her son Aaron; committed to Kerrville State Hospital until May 2012.[3]
3 cited
Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.
Presskltv.comAccessed Jul 5, 2026
Presscephas-library.comAccessed Jul 5, 2026
EncyclopedicWikipediaAccessed Jul 5, 2026
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