Dela Rosa Went On And Off Medication In Years Leading To Child's Death

Update 4:30 p.m.: Carmela dela Rosa's doctors said in court Thursday she had multiple diagnoses of major depressive disorder that ranged from moderate to severe before she lifted her 2-year-old granddaughter over a Tysons Corner Center walkway last November.

Dela Rosa's defense team called the doctors to testify Thursday afternoon, along with a Fairfax County psychiatrist and two Fairfax County psychologists who have evaluated her since she was incarcerated.

During an evaluation Dec. 2 at the Adult Detention Center, psychologist Ann Sigafoos said the deputy's log indicated dela Rosa had urinated on herself. She found the found the defendant lying on the floor of her cell, unresponsive to questioning.

During follow-up evaluations Dec. 6 and Dec. 13, Sigafoos testified dela Rosa repeatedly asked to pray with her and hold her hand. She explained prison policy prohibited her from touching inmates.

Another witness, psychologist Colleen Martin, explained in court she conducted dela Rosa's forensic intake interview Nov. 30, less than 24 hours after the crime occurred, to help determine what housing she should be assigned to in jail.

In her notes, Martin said dela Rosa had trouble staying on topic during the interview and couldn't focus well.

"She didn't have a clear understanding of why she was there or what was going on around her," Martin said. "It was though her mind was flying off."

Martin recommended the defendant be placed under suicide watch in prison.

Thursday was the last day of this week's court sessions. The trial will resume Monday in Fairfax. Although originally expected to conclude Oct. 12, Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Bruce White told jurors he expects the trial to wrap next week.

Original:

Carmela dela Rosa was prescribed Prozac two or three times between 2008 and 2010, but the 51-year-old did not take the common antidepressant regularly, her doctor Sally McFarland said Thursday. She only took the drug as needed.

“She went off and on it over time,” McFarland said.

Dela Rosa has said she was not taking that medication or several others prescribed to her in the days leading up to Nov. 29, 2010,

On Monday, Dela Rosa pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Dela Rosa's defense called McFarland as its first medical witness Thursday morning, the first medical expert in a long line of defense witnesses that includes family members and close friends who knew dela Rosa as she was growing up in the Philippines and later when she moved to the United States.

One of them was Regina Libre, who worked as a housekeeper for dela Rosa's family in the Philippines and maintained a close friendship with her when Libre moved to the U.S. in 1987.

“She was vibrant. She was lively. She was very helpful. She was thoughtful, especially to me and my kids," Libre said of dela Rosa.

The last time Libre spoke to dela Rosa was 8:30 am on Thanksgiving morning 2010, just four days before she would be arrested for throwing her granddaughter off a pedestrian bridge at Tysons Corner Center.

 “She said she was sick," Libre said, adding dela Rosa sounded very weak and told her she could not swallow.

Other family members testified dela Rosa became very engaged in reconnecting with old friends through Facebook staring in December 2009. She was spearheading a family reunion that was scheduled to take place in Disney World this past July, they said.

Ogla Achacoso, dela Rosa's first cousin, said she spoke to her the day before Thanksgiving last year. Dela explained she felt very depressed and Achacoso recommended that they pray together over the phone.

"I think I have lost Him in my life," dela Rosa told her cousin.

"That really struck me," Achacosa said. "She lost the God she firmly believed in."

The morning session will continue with medical experts who will testify on bouts of depression dela Rosa suffered since 2000, when her father died unexpectedly in the Philippines.

Check Patch throughout the day for updates to this story.

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