Houston Man John Hiller Shank Accused of Killing Mom Not Guilty by Insanity

HOUSTON - A University of Texas student, accused of fatally stabbing his mother in their River Oaks neighborhood home, was pronounced not guilty by reason of insanity.

Investigators said John Hiller Shank, 20, killed his mother after getting into an argument in early December.

His 52-year-old mother, Nancy, was found dead in the 3700 block of Overbrook. She suffered a knife wound to the neck.

After stabbing his mother, Shank fled the scene, according to investigators. He was found nearly an hour later, arrested and charged with Murder .

Those who knew the family said they were deeply saddened by Nancy’s death. The Coats Rose family released a statement expressing sympathy for the Shank family.

Shank’s attoey, Dan Cogdell, said the verdict was the right decision, in an interview with the Houston Chronicle .

He said Shank, suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, thought his mother was trying to harm him at the time of the killing.