The state paid to treat Juanita Maxwell's personalities - all seven of them - and then trained her for a job as a nursing assistant.
But now the state says Maxwell can't pursue her chosen career because of a criminal past she blames on her evil alter ego, "Wanda.""My record isn't pretty at all," Maxwell said this week. "But I feel like now I'm going to get kicked in the guts again by the system."
Maxwell, 39, was turned down for a job three weeks ago under a new state law that says anyone convicted of certain crimes cannot be hired as a nursing assistant. The law is designed to protect the elderly from abusers and scam artists.
Maxwell was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 1979 slaying of a woman who refused to return her pen. The 73-year-old victim's head was beaten with a lamp.
Maxwell spent five years in a mental institution. Shortly after her release, she was arrested for two armed bank robberies - crimes she says also were committed by "Wanda." She pleaded no contest in 1991 and, as part of the plea agreement, was sentenced to time served, which amounted to three years. The state was ordered to pay for her mental health treatment.
With the help of a state program, Maxwell earned her nursing assistant's certificate two years ago and worked briefly at nursing homes before the new law took effect.
The lawmaker who help push the bill through the Legislature, state Rep. Lars Hafner, said he hopes that lawmakers will now examine the programs that train convicted felons for jobs such as nursing assistants.
"We want a chance for them to be productive in society, but I'm not sure this is where we should be targeting our training programs," the Democrat said.