State Finds Mother Accused of Killing Daughter Is Now Competent for Trial; Defense Seeks New Evaluation

A mother accused of killing her pre-teen daughter has been found competent to stand trial by the Maryland Department of Health, but her attorneys are hiring an expert to re-examine the woman before they decide if they want to contest that finding.

Police arrested Keyona Dillon, 35, of Middle River, on Jan. 23, 2025 after finding her daughter’s body in the basement of their home on Firethorn Road. The girl had a ligature mark on her neck, according to police charging documents. Police believe a long, spiked plastic drain-cleaning tool found near the girl’s body was used to strangle her, according to charging documents. 

Dillon acted “erratically” at the scene and made comments about “groups of people trying to set her up,” according to police. 

Dillon was found incompetent to stand trial and was committed to a state psychiatric hospital in March 2025, where she has remained in treatment. 

The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) issued an updated report on Feb. 25 finding that Dillon is now competent to stand trial, Baltimore County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Tompsett said at a hearing Friday. 

In Maryland, “incompetent to stand trial” and “not criminally responsible" refer to different issues.  A defendant is incompetent to stand trial if they cannot understand the court process or assist with their defense; “not criminally responsible” relates to the person’s mental state at the time of the crime.

It is up to the court to officially rule on Dillon’s legal competency.

“They did caution that, if the court makes that competency finding, she would be better served to remain in a hospital setting pending trial,” Tompsett said. 

Assistant Public Defender Coriolanus Ferrusi said Dillon’s defense team wants to have her evaluated by a doctor they’ve hired before deciding if they want to contest the competency finding. 

Dillon appeared via video from the state hospital where she is being treated and answered her attorney’s questions simply by saying, “OK.” 

On the day she was arrested at her home on the 2100 block of Firethorn Road, Dillon told officers she suspected sexual activity between the father of her three other children and the victim, according to police. Investigators found no evidence to support that claim, according to charging documents. 

Dillon is charged with first-degree murder and nine counts of aggravated animal cruelty, according to court records.

Dillon’s younger daughter told officers her mother had used a hammer and her knee to kill the family’s pets the night before the girl was found dead. Police found the remains of two cats, one dog and a rabbit in the kitchen, disposed of in a plastic tote and a trash bag, according to court documents. 

“She admitted that she killed the four animals to show the victim what would happen to her if she didn’t tell the truth,” police wrote in charging documents.

When patrol officers tried to talk to Dillon about what happened in the home, she became “erratic,” according to police. 

“She refused to speak with patrol officers and would not provide identifying information pertaining to several other children who were at the residence,” according to charging documents. “Keyon Dillon was transported to BCoPD headquarters to be interviewed at which time she continued to display erratic behavior including exclamations about exposing child sex rings, transsexual and Proud Boys.”