Yoselyn Ortega: Killer Nanny Who Stabbed Two Children To Death In 2012 Will Face The Jury On Monday
A New York nanny who has been in police custody since the 2012 murders of two young children under her care is set to face a jury nearly six years after she committed the crime. While 55-year-old Yoselyn Ortega had admitted having killed siblings Lucia and Leo Krim aged 6 and 2, she later pleaded not guilty. The jury selection for the case is set to begin on Monday after nearly four years of pre-trial litigation over Ortega’s mental state at the time of the killings. Ortega was recently found fit to stand trial by a judge. Her lawyers are, however, likely to enter a psychological defense, The New York Post said in a report.
Lucia and Leo Krim were killed on October 25, 2012, inside their home inside the La Rochelle apartment building located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York. Yoselyn is accused of stabbing both the children as their mother and sister – then three-year-old Nessie was away at a nearby pool for swimming lessons. After brutally killing both the children, Yoselyn attempted suicide and stabbed herself repeatedly in the neck and throat. Marina Krim, the mother of the children, witnessed the horrific sight of both her children bleeding to death in a bathtub when she returned home a few hours later. She also found Yoselyn on the floor with the self-inflicted wound to her throat. While both the children were later pronounced dead, doctors did manage to save the life of Yoselyn.
Nearly two years after the murders, in 2014, Yoselyn had reportedly said “sorry” for the killings. Yoselyn was quoted saying the following according to court documents, The New York Times reported.
“Oh my God, I’m sorry, I’m sorry for what I’ve done. Relieve me of my misery.”
NYC nanny charged with killing 2 kids rejects plea deal: Yoselyn Ortega, 53, declined… https://t.co/WuZ2XyaA2K #NYC pic.twitter.com/nPdPWMlW1w
— NewYork (@NewYorkLoving) April 14, 2016
When the jury starts on Monday at the Manhattan Supreme Court, the children’s mother Marina Krim is set to appear as a witness. Prosecutors will aim to prove that the killings were premeditated and that Yoselyn had made a calculated and conscious decision to kill both the children. Yoselyn’s attorney is expected to counter the prosecution’s argument with an insanity defense. They are also likely to claim that the killings were not done consciously and that they were committed when Yoselyn was in the throes of a psychotic episode.
Yoselyn, who has been in police custody since her arrest in 2012 is likely to spend the rest of her life in prison if she is found guilty of the crimes.
