DAVENPORT, Iowa - A former area teacher charged with trying to stab her husband to death while he slept has been found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Patricia Oster, 63, was taken into the custody of the Iowa Department of Corrections and will be treated at one of their medical facilities for an undetermined length of time.
Oster was a retired second grade teacher in Eldridge, Iowa.
Prosecutors say doctors hired by both the defense and the state diagnosed Oster as having a " delusional disorder" at the time of the stabbing.
"We had two different experts, doctors. One for the defense, one for the state, and determined she was by legal definition, insane, at the time the offense was committed," said Kimberly Shepherd, an assistant county attorney who handled the case.
"What is going to happen now is she will be ordered to be committed to the Iowa Department of Corrections. The court will ultimately determine whether Mrs. Oster is safe, whether she still poses a threat to herself or others," said Shepherd.
At the time of the stabbing in May 2016, police said Oster had told them her husband had raped her.
"There is no evidence to support that, " said Shepherd.