BANGOR – A Maine woman accused of giving sleeping medication to her 2½-year-old daughter before smothering her is on trial.

The murder trial of Leanna Norris got underway Monday. A judge in Bangor is hearing the case without a jury.

The body of Norris’ daughter, Loh Melody Grenda, was discovered in June 2013 in her car in Stetson, where she lived before moving to Auburn. Police believe the girl was killed earlier in Newport.

A police affidavit indicates Norris told police she gave her daughter several syringes of Benadryl to help her sleep, then covered her mouth with duct tape and her hand. She said she attempted to take her own life before calling her father.

Norris is using an insanity defense.

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