Georgetown man ruled 'not guilty by insanity' in deadly beating of 6-year-old boy

Man who killed child with bat in Georgetown found insane

A man accused of beating a young boy to death with a bat in Georgetown will not stand trial. A judge ruled that Daniel Logan is not guilty by reason of insanity for his role in the death of 6-year-old Jeremy Diaz in 2023.

GEORGETOWN, Texas - A judge has ruled Daniel Logan "not guilty by insanity" for his role in the death of 6-year-old Jeremy Diaz.

Death of 6-year-old Jeremy Diaz

The backstory:

The case dates back to September 11, 2023, when Logan was accused of striking his own mother with a baseball bat. He then broke down the back door of his neighbor's house, where the Diaz family lived. 

Logan struck 6-year-old Jeremy Diaz in the head with the bat. Jeremy initially survived but died weeks later in the hospital. 

"I think none of us have seen anything quite like this before," says Ryan Bownds with the Williamson County District Attorney’s Office. 

6-year-old Jeremy Diaz

Bownds has been working this case since it first began in 2023. Their office charged Logan with capital murder in the death of an individual under 10 and first-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. 

Bownds says in the months leading up to Wednesday's hearing, a court-appointed expert ruled Logan was legally insane at the time of the attack based off evidence and his extensive history with mental health issues. 

Bownds team hired their own expert for a second opinion and even set the case for jury trial. That was until the expert they hired returned with a similar opinion, deeming Logan insane after reviewing his mental health history. 

"We were fully prepared for our expert to come back and if they were to say he was sane at the time, we would have taken him to trial," says Bownds.

On Wednesday, a Williamson County judge ruled that Logan was not guilty by reason of insanity. He is no longer eligible to stand trial in the death of Jeremy Diaz. 

What's next:

In 30 days, Logan will return to court to be selected for a mental health facility. Bownds says the court now has jurisdiction over Logan as he continues through court proceedings. 

"Because he was charged with capital murder which involves a life sentence, the court maintains jurisdiction over Mr. Logan for the entirety of his life," said Bownds.

Daniel Logan

Logan will return to court annually for mental health evaluations. Bownds says the DA's office will be at each of those hearings to make sure Logan is never released to the public. 

"Our hope is that no one has the potential to suffer a similar circumstance. We believe Mr. Logan should be held in a facility for the remainder of his life," said Bownds.