Psychiatrist testifies for Schmidt

Jennifer Lawson

Tuesday, May 10, 2005 | 9:17 a.m.

A psychiatrist said Monday that Tamara Schmidt showed remorse over her alleged "drug lifestyle" and took responsibility for her actions that authorities said led to the vicious knife attack on her two daughters at a Mesquite RV park two years ago.

Authorities are attempting to sever Schmidt's parental rights to her 13-year-old daughter Brittney Bergeron, who was left paralyzed from the waist down after the stabbing. Her 3-year-old half-sister was killed.

Police said Schmidt left her daughters alone in a trailer at the Casablanca RV Park while she gambled. Siblings Beau and Monique Maestas, 19 and 16, respectively, at the time of the attack, are scheduled to stand trial next month in connection with the stabbings.

They were allegedly angry when they found out Schmidt's then-boyfriend, now-husband Robert Schmidt sold them table salt instead of methamphetamine, according to police documents.

Since being released from the hospital, Brittney has been living with foster parents, who want to adopt her.

The testimony of Dr. Norton Roitman, called by the Schmidt's attorney, Stephen Caruso, counters that of other witnesses who said Schmidt consistently blamed her troubles on others.

Roitman met with Schmidt once, last August. He diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder.

"She took a considerable amount of responsibility for her errant behavior in the past," Roitman said. "She said she left the kids home alone and she shouldn't have done it."

He called her attitude "refreshing."

However, Kisha Earhart, an investigator for Child Protective Services, said that in therapy sessions with her regular counselor Schmidt refused to acknowledge that her decisions played a role in the attack on her children.

Brittney had expressed concerns about her safety if she goes back to living with her mother, and Schmidt was unwilling to work through these issues, Earhart said.

"The paramount issue for this child was her obvious concern for her safety," Earhart said. "When I learned she was unwilling to discuss anything, it was the largest barrier to begin family therapy, and because of that I didn't think we'd make any progress in family therapy."

Schmidt also continued to deny she left her daughters home alone for four hours on the night of the attack, as police allege. She said she left them alone for 45 minutes.

Testimony is to resume Friday, when Brittney and her foster parents are scheduled to testify.