A 39-year-old North Carolina mother, Gloria Elena Hughes, was convicted of beating her 3-year-old son to death in Maryland. She, however, was also found not criminally responsible and will not be sent to prison.
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As reported by Law & Crime, the fatal incident occurred back on December 3, 2023. Hughes was recorded in video surveillance footage at a Bel Air self-storage facility beating Jason Garcia, her 3-year-old. She was seen slamming the child into the pavement.
An off-duty sheriff’s deputy then observed Hughes carrying the lifeless body of her child at around 5:30 a.m. Jason was rushed to a local hospital. She was arrested shortly after and charged with first-degree murder and first-degree child abuse.
It was discovered that a day before Hughes murdered Jason, she was approached by an individual. The person had tried to intervene after observing Hughes and Jason in a car, where they saw the toddler crying. Hughes, however, drove off, telling the person to leave her alone.
Furthermore, authorities learned that Hughes and Jason’s father were embroiled in a custody battle at the time, WMAR reported. Furthermore, it was revealed that the father had contacted authorities, saying that he feared that Hughes could leave North Carolina with Jason, which she eventually did.
“It’s just heartbreaking,” Bel Air Police Chief Charles Moore said at the time, as per WBAL. “If there’s evil, that’s pure evil. That’s pure evil when you see something like that, and it hurts all of us.”
Not Criminally Responsible
More than a year and a half after the incident, Gloria Elena Hughes pleaded guilty to all charges on July 7, 2025, WSOC reported. While she was convicted of her crimes, she was also found “not criminally responsible.”
The not criminally responsible plea is similar to an insanity defense. As explained by Justia U.S. Law, the state can determine that a criminal is guilty of an offense and separately determine whether the said criminal was criminally or not criminally responsible at the time the offense was committed.
In Hughes’ case, since being found not criminally responsible, the Maryland Department of Health took her into custody. As reported by WSOC, she is currently being held in a state psychiatric facility, where she will remain for an undetermined amount of time.