HOUSTON—A Houston woman accused of stabbing her husband to death was found not guilty by reason of insanity Wednesday.

The judge handed down the verdict after both the district attorney and the defense recommended it.

"There were three doctors who said that Kristen DeWald was insane at the time she killed Mr. DeWald," said Prosecutor Tracy Bennett.

Kristen DeWald was accused of stabbing her husband, U of H professor James DeWald Jr., in their apartment last year.

"Took a big butcher knife -- which apparently was a wedding gift -- and stabbed him multiple, multiple times," said James DeWald Sr, the victim's father.

The victim was stabbed 40 times, according to police.

The week before the murder, DeWald allegedly attacked her husband with scissors.

The verdict means DeWald, who appeared visibly shaken in court, will be sent indefinitely to Vernon Hospital, a maximum-security mental health facility. 

DeWald’s attorney, George Parnham, said his client suffers from hallucinations when she is off her medication.

But the verdict was not easy for the victim’s family to hear.

“I think it’s not justice. I think it’s a travesty,” said DeWald Sr.

“I don’t believe for a minute that she was insane at the time she did it. She is an evil lady. She comes from an evil family. And she got away with murder,” he said.

Her family disagrees.

"She should not be labeled a common criminal and a murderer. She is not that. That is not our daughter," said Judith Magee, Kristen's mother. "She's sick."

DeWald's parents told 11 News that she is bipolar and needed to be on medication. That changed in 2007 when the couple started trying for a baby.

"She did cease taking her meds in order to have his baby," said Richard Magee, Kristen's father. "We're heartbroken over what happened to James. He was a beautiful brilliant person."

It’s unclear if or when DeWald will be released from the maximum security hospital.  She will undergo regular evaluations while receiving treatment.