Eaton woman accused of killing grandmother found competent to stand trial

EATON — A judge has made a decision on the competency of an Eaton woman that previously admitted to killing her 93-year-old grandmother.

.Heidi Matheny, 35, is facing one count of murder for the death of her grandmother, Alice Matheny. She previously pleaded not guilty.

In December, Matheny’s competence and sanity to stand trial was questioned, according to Preble County Common Pleas Court documents. She was then ordered to be evaluated by the Forensic Evaluation Service Center in Hamilton.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Eaton woman who admitted to drowning 93-year-old grandmother pleads not guilty

Last week, Matheny appeared in court for a competency hearing. There, a judge ruled that she’s competent to stand trial.

Eaton police were dispatched to the 300 block of East Somers Street in November 2022 on report of a possible homicide, News Center 7 previously reported.

A police report obtained through a public records request stated Matheny told police that she went behind her grandmother while she was doing dishes and she held her head in the sink “until she stopped blowing bubbles.”

She told police she wasn’t sure if her grandmother was dead yet so she filled up the bathtub and held Alice under for 15 minutes until she stopped breathing and left her in the bathtub.

>> VIDEO: Body camera footage shows moments Eaton woman admits to drowning 93-year-old grandmother

Afterward, she walked from the apartment to the sheriff’s office. Police asked her what led up to the drowning and she said “nothing special, it was a day like any other day”, according to a police report.

Police arrived on the scene and found Alice deceased in the bathtub and her body was transported to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office for an autopsy.

Matheny remains booked in the Preble County Jail on a $500,000 bond. She’s scheduled to appear in court again on March 2.

©2023 Cox Media Group