Woman ruled competent for trial
She is charged with first-degree murder in death of her mother, whose eyes were removed from sockets
A daughter was ruled mentally competent Friday for a trial in the March killing of her mother — a woman whose eyes were removed from their sockets and discovered by detectives.
Camille Balla, 32, is charged with firstdegree murder with a deadly weapon in the death of Francisca Monteiro-Balla, 55, at the Royal Palm Beach home they had shared.
At a brief competency hearing in mental health court, Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Dina Keever accepted reports from two doctors who examined Balla in recent months and determined the prosecution may proceed.
The judge then transferred the case to a trial judge, and an initial status hearing was set for Aug. 27.
Balla, who is being held at Palm Beach County Jail on no bond, is being represented by Assistant Public Defender Joseph Walsh.
Assistant State Attorney Lauren Godden has already informed the court and Walsh that prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty in the case of alleged matricide.
According to an online obituary published by Keefe Funeral Home in Rhode Island, the victim was known by the name Nanai Monteiro and had attended high school in the area. She later moved to South Florida in 1995 and worked for a bank in Royal Palm Beach, the notice stated.
A Mass of Christian Burial was scheduled at a Pawtucket church, to be followed by graveside services at a Providence cemetery, the obituary said.
The announcement indicated that Monteiro was survived “by her two precious daughters” — with Camille’s name listed — as well as seven siblings and other relatives who miss her.
A Palm Beach County grand jury indictment listed the victim’s name as Francisca Monteiro-Balla.
Deputies arrived at her residence in the 100 block of Country Club Way about 1:40 a.m. March 16, after a 911 call was placed by one of Camille Balla’s co-workers.
The deputies found Balla “who appeared frantic and was sitting on the sidewalk, covered in blood” with cuts on her hands, records show.
“I killed my mother and I need help,”
Balla told one deputy, according to an arrest report. Balla then said her mother was in the garage and handed over house keys covered in blood.
Investigators soon found a blood trail along a living room floor, which led to the garage. They say they found Monteiro-Balla’s partiallyclothed body, with deep cuts in the head, arms, chest and stomach.
The woman’s eyes were found on top of a cardboard box. Large pieces of broken glass were found near the victim.
As she was being treated by paramedics, Balla said she had smoked marijuana that she suspected was laced with Flakka or PCP, the arrest report said.
She also mumbled, ran around, screamed “I’m a murderer, I’m a murderer!” and fell to the ground, detectives said.
Also found at the crime scene: handwritten notes with religious themes that “related to clearing of the soul,” the report said.
In May, defense attorney Walsh requested a competency evaluation for Balla. He wrote that Balla has a history of mental illness and “does not appear to appreciate the range and nature of possible penalties.”
But mental health evaluations of Balla in June and July signaled that she has the ability to participate in her defense.
Nanai Monteiro loved shopping, watching classic movies, and most of all, beaches and sunrises, her obituary said.
“She felt it was everyone’s responsibility to keep the beaches clean, so with a big plastic bag in hand, she would pick up the litter as she walked and wish anyone who passed by a ‘happy Sunday’ with a big bright smile,” the funeral home posted.