Woman charged with killing 3 young sons appeals court order

COLUMBUS, Ohio – An Ohio woman accused of suffocating her three young sons over a 13-month period has appealed a court order that she undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

At issue is whether a confession made by defendant Brittany Pilkington can be used at her trial.

The Bellefontaine (behl-FOWN’-tihn) woman faces three counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of a toddler and two infants in 2014 and 2015. She has pleaded not guilty.

Pilkington’s attorneys have argued the confession should be tossed after their experts concluded Pilkington has brain damage and a low IQ. Logan County Judge Mark O’Connor has ordered an independent psychiatric evaluation. That decision was upheld by an appeals court last month.

Pilkington’s lawyers appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court Tuesday, arguing the evaluation would violate constitutional rights against self-incrimination.