Insanity Defense Filed in Sword Death of Mother

A court has ordered psychiatric exams for a 19-year-old Cromwell man who allegedly stabbed his mother to death with a sword. The man has filed an insanity plea in the case. Court records accuse him of stabbing his mother at least three times with a 24-inch sword during an argument February 23rd. 53-year-old Rene Smith died in her home on Enchanted Forest Lane, near the east shore of Lake Wawasee. The son faces charges of murder and involuntary manslaughter. If convicted, he could get up to 65 years in prison.