A New York nanny has been convicted of killing two young children in her care after a jury rejected claims she was severely mentally ill.
Yoselyn Ortega, 55, was found guilty of killing 6-year-old Lucia Krim and her brother, 2-year-old Leo Krim, in October 2012, The New York Times reports.
That afternoon, the children’s mother, Marina Krim, arrived back at their Upper West Side apartment with her third child to find Lucia and Leo dead in her blood-soaked bathroom. The two children had been stabbed multiple times with a kitchen knife.
When Ms Krim opened the bathroom door, she watched as the 55-year-old nanny stabbed herself in the neck.
Ms Krim testified that she had run out of her apartment screaming after the horrifying discovery, telling the court: “It was a scream you can’t even imagine is inside of you.
The prosecution argued that the nanny had intended to kill the two young children before committing suicide because she was angry and depressed about her workload, and jealous of the child’s mother.
Ortega’s lawyer, Valerie Van Leer-Greenberg, claimed her client had an undiagnosed mental illness that meant she could not be held responsible. The nanny was reportedly living with depression, hearing voices and experiencing hallucinations. During the trial, Ortega’s sister testified that she had sounded like a “demon” when she spoke to her hours before the crime.
But as The Telegraph reports, jurors on Wednesday rejected her insanity defence and found that Ortega understood the consequences of her actions.
The trial has taken a heartbreaking toll on juror members, with juror David Curtis telling media: “As a father of two children myself, I can’t imagine — no parent should have to experience the loss of a child”.
He added: “This was a very difficult decision for us. There were some raised voices and a lot of tears.
Ortega will be sentenced next month; she faces life in prison.
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