An elderly Effingham County woman was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the September 2006 slaying of her husband in Effingham County Superior Court on Monday.

Margie Hall, 72, shot and killed her husband, Henry Horace Hall Jr., on Sept. 16, 2006. She was found not competent to stand trial by a special jury on Feb. 26, 2007. Hall was reassessed at Georgia Regional Hospital in Savannah and a second special trial jury found her competent to stand trial on Sept. 25, 2007.

Defense attorney Robert Persse notified the district attorney’s office that he would ask the jury to consider a verdict of not guilty by reason on insanity at the time of the event.

Dr. Nic D’Alesandro, a forensic psychologist, and Dr. John Prather, a psychiatrist at the Georgia Regional Hospital, testified at a hearing Friday that there was a factual basis for the claim of not guilty by reason of insanity. Dr. Thomas H. Sachy also offered expert testimony to back the defense’s claim.

Hall was indicted by a grand jury with two counts of murder, one count of aggravated assault and one count of possession of a knife or firearm during the commission of crime on Oct. 26, 2006. She entered a plea of not guilty on Dec. 14, 2006.

Hall will remain at Georgia Regional Hospital in Savannah to undergo an evaluation not to exceed 30 days. A written report of her mental state will be filed with the court, and she will remain under the custody of the Department of Human Resources at the Georgia Regional Hospital until a hearing to determine if further placement is necessary.