TYLER -- Just two days before Mother's Day, Catherine Alana Stevens stood in front of a Smith County Courtroom and admitted murdering her toddler son, William.

"She admitted her guilt today," said district attorney Matt Bingham. "She withdrew her notice that she was insane."

Tyler police said that on July 8, 2007, Stevens confessed to choking the child with her bare hands in the family's home along Memory Lane.

Her admission is a victory for prosecutors who have been looking to put her away.

"I think that is the best outcome we could ever hope for," said Bingham. "With hard work from our office and law enforcement, she got the maximum sentence and I am pleased."

The boy's father was the one who called 911 that night.

Mickey Stevens told police he started performing CPR on his son - but he later passed away at an area hospital.

Investigators said officers had been to the couple's home several times because of Stevens' mental condition.

"She did have a long history of mental illness," said Bingham, "But at the time of the offense...she was not insane."

Her defense attorneys originally attempted an insanity defense in her capital murder trial - but withdrew the motion after three different experts denied the claim.

The 39-year-old Stevens will be eligible for parole in 30 years.