Who is Isabella Guzman?
In 2013, Isabella Guzman became renowned for killing her mother, Yun Mi Hoy, in a brutal manner – she stabbed her 79 times in the face, neck, and torso at their house in Aurora, Colorado.
She was sent to a mental health facility instead of facing a conviction on grounds of insanity. Seven years after her court appearance, Guzman gained overnight fame after a video of her went viral on TikTok.
What did Isabella Guzman do?
At the tender age of 18, Isabella Guzman committed the heinous act of killing her mother, leaving her family in a state of shock. Despite her history of behavioral difficulties early on in life, those close to her viewed her as being “sweet” and “good-hearted”.
Shortly after her detainment, Guzman pleaded not guilty by asserting mental instability. Her doctors determined that she had schizophrenia, and a judge mandated that she remain confined at Colorado Mental Health Institute until she wasn’t a hazard to herself or others.
Early Life
At the early age of seven, Isabella Guzman started displaying behavioral issues. Her mom decided to send her to stay with her biological father, Robert Guzman. Although she returned to her mother’s home, she still had difficulties during her teenage years and dropped out of school.
In August 2013, the connection between Guzman and Yun Mi Hoy soured dramatically. According to her stepfather, Ryan Hoy, Guzman became “more threatening and disrespectful” to her mother. On Tuesday, Aug. 27, the two had a heated quarrel that culminated in Guzman spitting in her mom’s face.
CBS4 Denver reported that the next morning Hoy got an email from her daughter, which only said, “You will pay.” Hoy, in a state of fear, contacted the police.
Later that day, the police arrived at the residence and talked to Guzman. The police informed Guzman that according to the law, her mother had the right to evict her if she continued to disrespect her mother and not adhere to the rules she had set.
Hoy reached out to Robert Guzman, who is her biological father and invited him to come over and have a conversation. Robert Guzman showed up at her place in the evening. He later recalled,
“We sat down in the backyard looking at the trees and the animals and I started to talk to her about the respect that people should have for their parents.”
He further insisted that he believed that the conversation with Guzman had gone well. However, he soon realized that his words had been fruitless.
Murder of Yun Mi Hoy
Around 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 28, 2013, Yun Mi Hoy returned home from her job. After informing her husband that she was heading up to the bathroom to take a shower, he was alarmed by a loud thump followed by piercing screams.
Ryan Hoy hurried up the stairs, arriving just as Isabella Guzman slammed the bathroom door shut. He attempted to force his way through, but Guzman had barricaded it and was preventing him from entering. Upon spotting the blood trickling from beneath the door, he dashed back down to dial 911.
The Huffington Post reported that when Ryan Hoy returned, he had heard his wife exclaim “Jehovah!” He then spotted Guzman exiting the door, brandishing a knife that was stained with blood.
He rushed into the bathroom and discovered Yun Mi Hoy, lying naked on the floor, a baseball bat close by her side, with multiple stab injuries. He desperately tried to revive her, but it was too late as she had already passed away.
After further inspection, it was discovered that her throat had been cut and she had sustained a minimum of 79 stab wounds to her head, neck, and chest.
Court Appearance
At her court appearance on September 5, 2013, Guzman had to be pulled from her cell. When she arrived in the courtroom, she gestured at the camera with odd expressions, grinning and pointing to her eyes.
The court accepted Guzman’s plea of not guilty on the basis of insanity and sent her to the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo, where it was ruled she should remain until she no longer posed a risk to herself or the public.
In 2020, several TikTok users created videos based on Isabella Guzman’s 2013 court hearing. A few of them were made with the popular Ava Max song Sweet but Psycho playing in the background. Additionally, some individuals even went as far as to imitate Guzman’s strange facial expressions from the courtroom.
Where is Isabella Guzman now?
As of June 2021, Isabella Guzman has been permitted to attend therapy sessions outside of the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo, where she has been living since the gruesome event she caused when she was 18.
