CLEVELAND — The woman accused of stabbing another woman for wearing faux fur boots inside a Cleveland Heights church was found not guilty by reason of insanity on Tuesday.
Meredith Lowell, who previously pleaded not guilty to the charges against her back in December, waived her right to a jury trial and opted for a bench trial.
The defense presented a report from a doctor that stated that Lowell was suffering from autism spectrum disorder at the time of the stabbing. "At the time of the offenses, Ms. Lowell did not know the wrongfulness of her actions," the report stated.
Lowell will be taken into temporary custody until her next hearing on March 9.
She was arrested last year following an alleged incident inside Fairmount Presbyterian Church. According to witnesses, Lowell entered the main lobby of the church and approached the victim, who had just dropped off a group of children for choir practice. The victim said Lowell pushed her before walking away. That's when the victim realized she was bleeding and had been stabbed.
Witnesses wrestled a knife away from Lowell and kept her pinned to the floor until police arrived.
Lowell was arrested and charged with attempted murder and felonious assault.
The victim suffered two wounds to the arm and one to the abdomen, but her injuries were not life-threatening.
Police say Lowell randomly targeted the victim for wearing fur boots, though the fur was not real. Lowell has been accused of similar crimes in the past, including in 2012 when she was charged with attempting to hire a hitman to kill someone for wearing fur. She also has another felonious assault charge pending against her.
RELATED: Woman pleads not guilty to stabbing woman for wearing faux fur boots in Cleveland Heights church
You can watch the trial in the player below:
