Texas mother on trial for death of baby

The trial is underway for Narjes Modarresi, charged with capital murder in connection with the death of the child in April 2010.
According to HPD, Modarresi initially said the baby was taken in his stroller in the 8000 block of Woodway by a man in a mid-sized brown or beige sedan. But after a lengthy interview with investigators, Modarresi led them to a wooded area near Buffalo Bayou where her son was buried alive in a shallow grave.
Defense attorney George Parnham said Modarresi had an extensive history of mental illness including bipolar disorder and post-partum depression. Parnham also represented Andrea Yates, the Houston woman who drowned her five kids in 2001.


While her family says Modarresi has a history of mental illness, it's unclear whether there was any official diagnosis of post-partum depression. George Parnham, an expert on post-partum depression, said the public should withhold judgment.
"I understand that the mother's Iranian, and there may be a cultural issue, whereby she has added pressure not to speak to relatives about examples of post-partum issues," he said.

"When we're dealing with a mother who's suffering post-partum psychosis, her reality -- and the reality in which she makes a a decision -- is different," he said.