VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The mother of a 2-year-old girl found dead with toxic levels of Benadryl in her body at Virginia Beach's Cutty Shark hotel in August 2022 has been found not guilty for reasons of insanity.
Leandra Andrade, who was 38 at the time, had checked into the Oceanfront after losing a custody battle in Washington, D.C., court records show.
Watch previous coverage: Mother of 2-year-old found dead charged with murder
She faced charges of aggravated murder and child abuse after her daughter, Lanoix Andrade, was found to have acute diphenhydramine toxicity in her body after an autopsy.
Leandra pleaded not guilty for reasons of insanity Wednesday and the judge accepted her plea. She will face a conditional release hearing in March to determine whether she'll be committed to a behavioral health facility.
In an interview before the verdict this week, Lanoix's father, Fabio Andrade, spoke to WUSA9, our CBS affiliate partner in Washington.
Watch that story in the player below
"I never imagined obviously she would ever being capable of doing something like this," Fabio Andrade said.
Detectives also said they found Leandra Andrade unconscious on the floor of the motel blocking the doorway. Lanoix was found in the room, foaming at the mouth.
Watch previous coverage as undercover officer describes the scene they found at the motel
Fabio had been granted sole custody two days prior to the incident, but Leandra still retained 50-50 physical custody.
Court records show Leandra had also allegedly sent text to Fabio the night of Lanoix's death begging him not to move forward with their separation, including messages that said "you don't win," and "it will make you cry" for the future he is "manifesting."
"Devastated, and I felt like I wasn't being heard and my daughter's voice wasn't being heard," Fabio said following Wednesday's trial.
Fabio wrote a letter to the judge requesting reconsideration of the not-guilty plea, but he said he was unable to deliver it to the judge on Wednesday.
The commonwealth's attorney's office said that because Fabio was not called as a witness on Wednesday, there is no legal mechanism under Virginia law for him to address the court at that time. However he is not barred from sending a letter to the judge.
In the letter, Fabio states his concerns about how his ex-wife's professional background has affected the judgment of the case.
"Obviously, you know, have been bringing up the point that my ex-wife is a mental health professional, educated, with an undergraduate degree, master's degree, and licensed," Fabio told News 3. "She was actually licensed up until a year after she had murdered our daughter, and I had brought that up to everyone's attention, but I guess it wasn't being considered.
Leandra's attorney, James Broccoletti, said his client has a prior mental health history that dates back to 2004.
"I think I can honestly say in over four decades of practicing law, this is probably the saddest case that I've ever had," Broccoletti said. "There are no winners on either side of this case. We use the word tragedy often, but it doesn't come close to defining this case."
