ATLANTA _ The day after she allegedly stabbed to death her husband and four of their children, a Gwinnett County mother smiled for cameras, flashed the thumbs-up sign, and told a judge she doesn't want a lawyer.
"I don't need an attorney," Isabel Martinez said Friday through an interpreter. "My attorney is the people that we are fighting for ... It does not matter what color you are because God loves us all."
But whether or not she has an attorney may not be up to Martinez.
Though her mental health has not been discussed publicly by law enforcement or the court, the 33-year-old woman's bizarre behavior in court _ and the very nature of her alleged crimes _ raises questions about whether she will be deemed competent to stand trial, according to legal experts.
That's a determination to be made by forensic psychiatrists _ the likely next step in what is sure to be a long, complex process, attorneys observing the case said Friday.
Martinez is accused of killing the four children and their father early Thursday morning at the family's home in Loganville. A fifth child, a daughter, was also attacked but survived and is now awake and talking in a hospital. Martinez was taken into custody, interviewed and arrested later Thursday, charged with five counts of malice murder, five counts of murder and six charges of aggravated assault.
Police have not released details about a possible motive or whether Martinez confessed to the killings.
Her behavior in court Friday was erratic. She put her hands together as if she was praying and had a smirk on her face, never appearing remorseful.
"I'm going to caution you to cut off the display for the cameras," Judge Michael Thorpe told Martinez. "It's really not a good idea. Probably not to your benefit. I can't physically stop you from doing it, but it ain't a good idea."
The judge also advised Martinez against not obtaining an attorney, but she adamantly shook her head. Her words that followed made little sense.
"It's just that for me, the hope are always going to be the people and my faith ... those are my friends, that's why I'm here," Martinez said. "It doesn't matter here, anything else. I'm here representing the people (that are) humble and hardworking. The people that suffer. The people that have a lot of charges so that they understand that everything is possible with God."
Thorpe told Martinez her next court appearance will be July 20. Meanwhile, she was being held without bond late Friday at the Gwinnett jail.
"We are concluded with you," the judge said. "You probably need to stop talking."
Martinez has the right to represent herself, but only if she's competent to make that decision, said Bob Rubin, a criminal defense attorney not involved with the case.
"If she waives the right to counsel, the judge really has to explore whether she's capable of making a knowing and voluntary waiver of (that) right," Rubin said.
Based on the accusations against her and her behavior in court, former DeKalb County District Attorney J. Tom Morgan said he would be surprised if the case goes to trial.
"For a mother to kill her child is almost in itself criminally insane," said Morgan, now a criminal defense lawyer. "I think it's very unlikely she stands trial."
Determining whether she is mentally fit for trial is handled separately, in civil court, Morgan said.
"If she's not competent to stand trial, (the state) will try very hard to make her competent," said Marietta defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant, a former Cobb County prosecutor.
Ultimately, it will come down to whether Martinez could tell the difference between right and wrong, Merchant said.
Her legal status could also impact how she is prosecuted.
Immigration officials said Friday that Martinez illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico. But because it was her first encounter with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, it was unknown how long she has been in the country, said Bryan Cox, a spokesman for the agency. Martinez told police her husband was also in the U.S. illegally, Cox said.
Mexico could also get involved, especially if Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter decides to pursue the death penalty, which Mexico opposes. A spokesman for the Mexican consulate in Atlanta did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
The victims have been identified as Martin Romero, 33, and the four siblings killed were 2-year-old Axel, 4-year-old Dillan, 7-year-old Dacota and 10-year-old Isabela Martinez.
The children and their father were already dead when police arrived at the family's mobile home on Emory Lane around 5 a.m. Thursday. Martinez had called 911 at 4:47 a.m. requesting help.
Nine-year-old Diana Romero was also stabbed and flown by helicopter to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, where she underwent emergency surgery and is expected to remain for two or three weeks, according to a GoFundMe page set up by family members. She was awake and talking Friday, police posted on Twitter.
"She is surrounded by loving family members who are helping care for her," police said.
In recent weeks, Martinez had been distraught over the death of her father in Mexico, according to neighbors in the mobile home community.
On Thursday evening, neighbors gathered in front of the Martinez-Romero home to pray. They lit candles, rested a wooden cross against the house, left pink and blue teddy bears, and wrote notes on a large poster board.
"There are no words to express how much you and the kids will be missed. Even though you are not here, you all will always be in our hearts!"
Funeral arrangements for the family had not been announced late Friday. Donations from the online fundraising page will be used toward burial costs and medical bills for the surviving child, a family member posted.
