Trebilcock faced felony charges of second-degree murder and second-degree assault for the death of Lauren Belius and injuries Allison Belius sustained as she tried to save her daughter.



Belius testified that she awoke July 19 to the sounds of her twin daughters screaming and found the door to their bedroom barricaded. She forced her way inside and found Trebilcock stabbing Lauren with a 5-inch steak knife as her twin sister, Erica, huddled at the foot of the bunkbed they shared.



Trebilcock told first responders, police investigators and medical professionals that he believed Lauren was the anti-Christ and he was a messenger sent from God to kill her.

The non-jury trial focused on testimony from two doctors who treated Trebilcock at Central New York Psychiatric Center and two mental health experts hired to review the case.



All four witnesses testified that Trebilcock suffered from a form of schizophrenia.



A fifth doctor who treated Trebilcock as he recovered from his injuries at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Utica diagnosed Trebilcock as "malingering," or faking his symptoms.



In his closing arguments, public defender Patrick Marthage argued that the diagnosis of schizophrenia is "the only plausible explanation" for the gruesome murder.



But First Assistant District Attorney Dawn Catera Lupi pointed to inconsistencies among the witnesses – from one doctor who testified that Trebilcock's condition could be managed with drugs, to another who testified that he authorized his release from Central New York Psychiatric Center to Oneida County Jail because he "didn't pose a threat to himself or others."



Lupi also recalled testimony from one doctor who said patients suffering from paranoid schizophrenia can have the capacity to understand the consequences of their actions.



"This science is not exact – not by a long shot," Lupi said. "The professionals themselves disagree."



''He knows what he did, he knows it was wrong and he should go to prison for it," she said.



But Dwyer agreed with experts who said the actions offered more evidence of Trebilcock's mental illness.



"The lay person has very little insight into diseases of the mind," Dwyer said. "No one could have anticipated that he would take the life of an innocent child."

A mother's words

On the Facebook page where she has written messages to Lauren since her death, Allison Belius remembered her daughter’s short life.

“I will never forget her smiles, her giggles, her sweet voice,” Belius wrote on the eve of the final day of the non-jury trial of David Trebilcock. “How she stood up for herself and anyone she loved. How she gave me the tightest hugs I’ve ever had.”

Before Tuesday’s verdict was announced, Belius expressed her wishes for Lauren and her siblings.

“I hope my baby girl gets the justice she deserves,” Belius said. “I hope I get to come home tomorrow and tell her twin what she has been waiting to hear - that the monster will be locked in a cage until the end of his life. I want to promise them that they are safe from him, that he will never get the chance to come back to hurt them too.”

Belius also hinted at her own anguish.

“I miss her so much that it takes the air from my lungs and I feel my heart breaking all over again,” she wrote.

The message also included a special wish for one of many holidays that will be spent without Lauren.

“I love you, Lauren Sylvia,” Belius wrote. “You were an angel from the time you were born and you always will be.

“I hope your wings are pink. I’m going to see you again one day and give you the tightest hug and never let go. Goodnight sweet girl. I love you. Happy Valentine’s Day.”