Nicole Finn was dissociated from reality, psychologist testifies at murder trial

JASON CLAYWORTH ,  LEE ROOD ,  JASON CLAYWORTH   | The Des Moines Register

A forensic psychologist said Monday that he questions whether Nicole Finn could have intended to kill her 16-year-old daughter.

While the 43-year-old mother of five wasn’t delusional or psychotic, she did suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome and major depression. That made it difficult for her to perceive that she should have done something as Natalie and two siblings languished from lack of food, said Dr. Carlo Giacomoni of North Star Mental Health in Roseville, Minnesota.

“This is a little bit difficult," Giacomoni said. "She may not have even known there was something to be done."

Closing arguments are expected Tuesday in Finn’s trial for first-degree murder and kidnapping. Finn, who has pleaded not guilty, declined to testify Monday in her own defense. A conviction on any of the four charges against her could bring life in prison. 

She is accused of confining and slowly starving three teens with behavior disorders over the summer and fall of 2016. Natalie, the eldest at 16, died in October lying in her own waste in a bedroom she shared with two other siblings.

Jaden and Mikayla Finn, now 16 and 15 and living in foster care, also nearly died as a result of their neglect, medical professionals have testified. All three were required to ask permission to leave their room, eat or go to the bathroom. Nicole often ignored them while she ran a pet rescue or slept when she wasn't feeling well, the children testified. 

Defense lawyers said Monday they were unable to locate one of two social workers fired last year at Iowa's Department of Human Services because of the handling of the Finn case.

Prosecutor Nan Horvat said that Beth Avery, a potential witness for the defense, has said through her lawyer that she will not make herself available to testify. 

That refusal to testify could result in a contempt of court order from Judge Karen Romano. But Horvat said that Avery doesn't have access to any messages or information not already entered into evidence in the case, so it's unlikely the testimony is needed.

Amy Sacco, a child protective worker who was fired from DHS, already testified that she offered Nicole Finn services to help her with her four adopted children's behavior disorders. But Finn did not pursue those resources after she and police visited her home in August 2016 after multiple abuse reports.

Giacomoni, the only witness called by Finn's defense, testified that Nicole Finn had a difficult childhood and relationships with her parents. She also suffered post-traumatic stress after her 2012 breakup with an abusive boyfriend. 

Those difficulties contributed to an emotional disconnection with others that also caused her to push people away, Giacomoni said.

“You get kind of scared of the world in general,” he said.

At the same time, Nicole Finn was dealing with the stress of multiple teens with behavioral disorders, had lost a close friend, and had health issues, including a muscle pain disorder known as fibromyalgia.

Finn was overwhelmed and too dissociated from reality to cope, he said.

“She would see what’s happening, but because of her significant difficulty dealing with emotional distress, she wasn’t processing it. She wasn’t allowing herself to notice what really was going on,” Giacomoni said.

Horvat asked Giacomoni multiple questions related to what Nicole Finn recognized during cross examination.

She noted that Finn had her ex-husband help nail two windows shut and installed an alarm to alert her when the teens exited their shared bedroom. She said Nicole said often that the teens smelled and had been going to the bathroom on their bedroom floor.

And the mother knew Natalie needed help in the days before her death because the teenager was too weak to stand.

"Nicole perceived Natalie was faking it," Giacomoni responded.

Over the first two weeks of the trial, jurors heard from three of Finn's five children as well as numerous medical and law enforcement officials.