Julia Birch, 27, of Kensington, pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder in the death of her 92-year-old roommate, Nancy Ann Frankel, a sculptor from Kensington, according to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Lauren DeMarco, the office’s director of public affairs, stated Birch faces a potential sentence of up to 40 years in prison. Sentencing is set for 10 a.m. June 29 in front of Associate Judge John M. Maloney.
Birch’s charges stem from a July 28, 2021, incident when Montgomery County police and fire rescue officials responded to a residence on Spruell Drive in Kensington to investigate a death that occurred, according to charging documents.
According to DeMarco, when officials arrived at the scene, Birch, then 26, told them she suffocated and killed Frankel, whose body was found in her bedroom.
Officials stated Birch staged Frankel’s body by laying her on a pillow, folding her hands over her chest and spraying perfume on her, after she unsuccessfully tried to get the body back into her bed.
DeMarco stated that Birch was taken into custody and admitted to killing Frankel when interviewed at the Montgomery County Police Headquarters.
According to the State’s Attorney’s Office, Birch first tried to suffocate the victim by trying to place a plastic bag over Frankel’s head, and when Frankel managed to poke a hole in the bag, Birch pinned her to the ground and strangled her. Both physical evidence as well as the autopsy results confirmed the method of death, DeMarco wrote.
Birch admitted to contacting 911 to report the fatality, according to officials.
According to DeMarco, Birch had been evaluated by a state doctor who found her to be experiencing psychotic symptoms at the time of the murder, and she was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder.
However, the doctor found that she was still mentally capable of understanding murder was wrong and would have been able to control her conduct and abide by the law, DeMarco stated.
The Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office did not immediately have the most recent attorney information for Birch, who is being represented by the Maryland Office of Public Defender, according to charging documents.
