In New York, jurors have found a nanny guilty of murdering two children of a family who she had worked for for more than two years, the AAP reports.
Yoselyn Ortega, 55, faces life in prison following a sentence next month after a jury did not believe her defence of insanity behind her admitted killing of Lucia Krim, 6, and Leo Krim, 2, in October 2012.
In 2012, Ortega rejected a plea which would see her sentence reduced to 30-years-to-life in prison.
The seven-week trial saw Ortega’s lawyer state that an undiagnosed mental illness was behind her actions. Ultimately, the jury believed that the murders were driven by a jealousy directed at the children’s mother, Marina Krim.
While their mother and father weren’t home, Ortega stabbed Lucia more than 30 times, and Leo five times. Marina Krim discovered their bodies in the bathroom of their apartment after returning home when Lucia was not at her dance class, waiting to be picked up. Her three-year-old daughter, Nessie Krim, was with her at the time.
“She did it intentionally with a full understanding of exactly what it was she was doing every stab, every slash,” said assistant district attorney Stuart Silberg, addressing the jury during closing statements.
It’s reported that Ortega remained emotionless during the verdict before tearing up as she left the courtroom. The children’s father, Kevin Krim, was present in the front row of the court. Their mother was not present, though the couple have since made a joint statement from the Lulu & Leo fund, a charity to foster child creativity and art created in their children’s honour.
You can read the full statement on their Twitter, but here is a snippet:
Marina and I want to thank the judge and the jurors for their commitment to justice and their public service over this long and difficult trial. We are deeply indebted to the district attorney’s office and the NYPD for their care for our family, and their determination and dedication over the past five and a half years to see justice done. This process has been very challenging for us, but it has also reaffirmed our love of New York: a city that Lulu and Leo loved dearly. We got through this trial because of our family, our friends, our fellow New Yorkers and the loving memory of Lulu and Leo’s lives.
Marina and I believe that creativity is a positive act of defiance in the face of the destructive forces of violence and negativity. We want to respond with constructive energy and hope you will too.
Source: AAP/The Guardian
Image credit: Susan Watts/NY Daily News via Getty Images
