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First psychiatric evaluation date set for Amber Pasztor

ELKHART, Ind. (WANE) – Amber Pasztor is set to be transported to an Elkhart hospital to undergo a psychiatric evaluation on November 25.

During an October 19 court appearance in Elkhart, the judge ordered Pasztor be evaluated by two psychiatric experts, one in Elkhart and one in Fort Wayne, after a motion was filed to determine if she was competent to stand trial. Pasztor’s attorney announced in early November that he planned to use the insanity defense.

Pasztor has been charged with two counts of murder and is accused of killing her 6-year-old son Rene Pasztor and 7-year-old daughter Liliana Hernandez. Pasztor’s attorney will have to convince a jury that she was not able to appreciate the wrongfulness of her actions because of a mental disease or defect.

According to Forensic Psychologist, Dr. Stephen Ross of Fort Wayne, it is rare that defendants are actually found to be insane. In fact, it only works about one percent of the time. To prove that’s the case with Pasztor, it could take months of evaluations, interviews, and testing.

Pasztor admitted to 24-Hour News 8’s sister station, WANE, during a jailhouse interview in early October that she killed her two children and Frank Macomber. Macomber was somehow connected to Pasztor, though their relationship remains unclear. The Macomber case was recently received by the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office. The prosecutor’s office did not indicate what charges they would pursue against Pasztor in that case.