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Bipolar Mom Who Threw Baby Into Hudson River to Get Insanity Plea Deal

By DNAinfo Staff on November 21, 2011 3:46pm

Devi Silvia at a past court appearance in 2010.
Devi Silvia at a past court appearance in 2010.
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DNAinfo/Josh Williams

MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — An Upper West Side mom charged with throwing her baby into the Hudson River in a murder-suicide attempt will be offered the chance to plead not guilty by reason of insanity, prosecutors said Monday.

Prosecutors said Devi Silvia, 34, tossed her 19-month old daughter into the frigid river off the West 70th Street pier on May 11, 2010. She and the baby were rescued almost immediately, and police charged her with attempted murder, assault and child endangerment. 

Following her arrest, Silvia was examined by various medical doctors, and her lawyer said she was suffering from bipolar disorder. She was initially taken to the Elmhurst Hospital jail ward where she received psychiatric attention. In June 2010, she was released into outpatient psychiatric treatment and has been receiving treatment since, prosecutors said.

During a brief court appearance on Monday, prosecutors said there would likely be a plea offer made to Silvia at her next court date on Dec. 2.

"It's going to be not guilty to by reason of insanity," Assistant District Attorney Kevin Wilson said.

Silvia is an Indian citizen, but moved to New York for her husband's job and lived in a Riverside Boulevard Trump building at the time of the incident.

If she accepts the plea offer, Silvia will be automatically committed to a state psychiatric center for a six month period and then reevaluated to determine whether she should remain in a treatment center and for how long.

Silvia's attorney, Daniel McGillycuddy, declined to comment Monday.