Back on July 5, 2003 Renee Ordway of the Bangor Daily News wrote

As Tonia Porter starved her 5-year-old daughter, Tavielle Kigas, to death over 30 days in the family’s Bangor apartment in 1993, she occasionally would poke her head into the child’s bedroom and tell her that she was evil and had to die.

Shortly after police removed the child’s emaciated body from her bedroom, Porter sat emotionless in front of a video camera set up by police and mimicked the grunting and moaning sounds that her daughter made as her body shut down.

 

Tonia Kigas Porter, who was found not criminally responsible for murder for starving her 5 year old daughter to death, was released from state custody today, Friday, May 16th.

Porter who was committed to Augusta Mental Health Institute, now Riverview Psychiatric Center was released by Judge Donald Marden, after the State, Porter's psychiatrist and the State Forensic Service all supported Porter's release.

Assistant Attorney General Laura Yustak Smith had tried to contact members of Tavielle Kigas, but learned that one was deceased and the other didn't want to attend the hearing.

I remember when the emaciated body of Tavielle Kigas was found. I remember the vigil, and I remember the community asking how this could have happened. I remember the shock, the outrage. I know that those judged not criminally responsible as a result of their mental illness can be found to be competent with medicine and treatment. But to be honest, I'm feeling  shock and outrage that the biological mother, the mother of a five year old, that starved her daughter to death, who told her that she was evil and had to die, has been released from the custody of the state.

(Source Kennebec Journal Online)

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