Yoselyn Ortega, 55, was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of 6-year-old Lucia Krim and her brother, 2-year-old Leo Krim, in October 2012.
On the day of the murders, 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, reports The New York Times.
When Ms Krim opened the bathroom door, she found the 55-year-old nanny attempting to take her own life.
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 plea of insanity had been rejected by Judge Gregory Carro, who during the sentencing hearing described the case as “pure evil”.
Ortega spoke briefly during the hearing, but her words were enough to pain the victims' parents.
“I’m very sorry for everything that happened but hope that no one goes through what I have gone through,” reports News.com.au.
“Although many wish me all the worst, my life is in the hands of God. I am in jail but perhaps there are many more in prison than I am."
The children's distraught mother lashed out at Ortega for not showing "an ounce of remorse" and for plotting to "destroy" her family.
Mrs Krim had not originally intended to return to court after an intense six-hour testimony during the trial, however she returned in ordered to “finish a horrible chapter in my family’s life.”
She described her children as “powerful forces” and “two stars now that will always lead us forward”, in a heartbreaking tribute.
“I still remember how in love I felt when looked at my son’s deep brown eyes,” she continued.
“Nessie will never know what her sister and brother are like. Each time she makes a wish, it’s always for Leo and Lulu to come back to be with us. Nessie knows this wish will never come true.”
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