What is the story of Isabella Guzman? Who is she, and where is she now?

A popular true crime case featuring a woman named Isabella Guzman who murdered her mother, and then avoided a prison sentence by reason of insanity became a TikTok sensation in 2020. People have become absolutely enthralled with her story and court case.

But what is she doing now, and has she been released into the public at large?

Who is Isabella Guzman?

Isabella Guzman was a teenager in Aurora, Colorado, in the early 2010s. According to CBS News reporting, despite Isabella’s long-existing behavioral issues, she was generally regarded as a happy and loving teen by her family.

In 2013, when Guzman was 18, her problems with behavior began to mount, especially in regard to her mother. Everything came to a head when Guzman murdered her mother via stabbing on August 28, 2013.

Guzman’s mother, Yun Mi Hoy, had been having many altercations with Isabella throughout the month of August. Leading up to her murder, Yun Mi Hoy had sought the intervention of both police and Guzman’s biological father to try and aid in stabilizing Isabella. Her outbursts had escalated to spitting and threats of getting revenge on her mother.

What was Isabella Guzman accused of?

On the evening of August 28, 2013, Isabella Guzman followed her mother to her upstairs bathroom and Yun Mi Hoy began to shower. During this time, it’s not known what happened immediately before the murder. All we know is that Guzman’s stepfather heard a thud and scream upstairs, which led him to investigate and find the bathroom door being blocked by Guzman, with blood seeping under the door.

Isabella Guzman’s stepfather called the police and tried to provide basic medical attention to his wife after Guzman finally left the bathroom. After police and other first responders arrived on the scene, Yun Mi Hoy was declared dead at the scene from 78 stab wounds. Guzman was arrested and processed, being charged with her mother’s murder.

After being charged and brought to court, it was found that Guzman was not competent to stand trial due to her schizophrenia diagnosis and delusional behavior leading up to the murder. It was determined that she did not understand the fundamentals of right and wrong at the time of committing the murder.

Allegedly, Guzman did not even really believe she was stabbing her own mother, and thought she was a different person that she had to murder in order to save the world.

Where is Isabella Guzman now?

In 2020, Guzman began speaking with the press and stating that she was well enough to rejoin society. Despite this, she has not been released or given any furlough. As of 2023, Guzman remains at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo, Colorado. It’s unknown if she’ll ever be released into the general public.

Likely as a result of her speaking with the press, Guzman began to trend on TikTok as a topic of conversation and even fan edits. Some have come to her defense and bolstered her claims of abuse by her mother and the Jehovah’s Witness church her family had been a part of. Others have celebrated her looks and odd behavior during her 2013 court appearance.