A judge has convicted a woman with a history of mental illness of fatally attacking her 5-year-old daughter and injuring the girl's older brother in the street outside their Woodbury home more than two years ago.

Sadiyo I. Mohamed, 34, was found guilty in Washington County District Court of second-degree murder and second-degree assault in connection with the attacks with a foot-long metal pole on May 26, 2021. She was convicted following a bench trial, during which the facts were agreed to by the defense and prosecution, and the decision was rendered by Judge Douglas Meslow.

The bench trial is now entering a second phase, which could result in the judge reaching a verdict later this year of not guilty by reason of mental illness, which would lead to Mohamed being civilly committed indefinitely to a secure hospital run by the state Department of Human Services.

In the meantime, Mohamed is being housed at the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter under a civil commitment.

Police responded about 12:45 a.m. to numerous 911 calls from the 400 block of Lake View Alcove and saw Mohamed chasing her screaming son down the street. Officers found her daughter, Kawthar Abdi, on her back in the street. She was bleeding from a head wound and was unresponsive, according to the charges.

Emergency medical personnel took the children to Regions Hospital. The girl had a fractured skull and other serious injuries, and the boy, who was 6 at the time, had a possible broken arm and a large bump above his right eye, the charges read. Kawthar died three weeks later.

Mohamed told police on the day of the attacks that she has bipolar disorder and had been off her medications for a couple of months, according to the criminal complaint.

She went on to say that she believed her children were playing games with her, and "she said she wasn't sure if her kids were the devil or a demon, which made her question if she should hurt them or not," according to the charges.

Court records show that Mohamed has struggled with mental illness since at least 2013, when she was civilly committed for a year for treatment. She was similarly committed in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and last discharged in September 2018.

A court-ordered examination after Mohamed was charged resulted in the judge ruling that she was mentally competent to stand trial.