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Nanny who killed kids, pleaded insanity is convicted of murder By The Associated Press Posted Apr 18, 2018 at 1:52 PM In this March 1 image taken from video, Yoselyn Ortega, a trusted nanny to a well-to-do family, listens to court proceedings during the first day of her trial, in New York. Jurors on Wednesday found that Yoselyn Ortega killed 6-year-old Lucia Krim and 2-year-old Leo Krim in October 2012 and understood the consequences of her actions when she did it. They said she was guilty of murder. ▲ In this March 1 image taken from video, Yoselyn Ortega, a trusted nanny to a well-to-do family, listens to court proceedings during the first day of her trial, in New York. Jurors on Wednesday found that Yoselyn Ortega killed 6-year-old Lucia Krim and 2-year-old Leo Krim in October 2012 and understood the consequences of her actions when she did it. They said she was guilty of murder. ▲ --> NEW YORK — A nanny who stabbed two children to death at their home but argued she was too mentally ill to be held responsible was convicted of murder on Wednesday. Jurors found that Yoselyn Ortega killed 6-year-old Lucia Krim and 2-year-old Leo Krim in October 2012 and understood the consequences of her actions when she did it. Ortega expressed no reaction to the verdict, staring straight ahead as it was read in court. The children's father, Kevin Krim, held hands with two alternate jurors who said they would stay for the verdict and then hugged them after it was read, and they cried together. Ortega's lawyer Valerie Van Leer-Greenberg didn't dispute that Ortega killed the children but contended she had an undiagnosed mental illness that got worse in the moments leading up to the attack. Mental illness "does not announce itself like a bad cough or a limp," Van Leer-Greenberg said during closing arguments. "Sometimes it sneaks up and nestles in before anyone takes notice." But prosecutors maintained that Ortega knew what she was doing and acted out of jealous hatred of the children's mother, Marina Krim, who was richer and happier than she was. "She did it intentionally with a full understanding of exactly what it was she was doing — every stab, every slash," Assistant District Attorney Stuart Silberg said during closing arguments. Ortega, who's from the Dominican Republic, showed little emotion during the trial and mostly stared straight ahead. But she shook her head forcefully and mouthed "no" during testimony that her employers treated her well. Jurors heard heart-wrenching testimony from Marina Krim, who spoke of the sickening, desperate moments when she saw her children's vacant eyes, their small bodies perforated by stab wounds. Krim was at a swimming class with her 3-year-old daughter, Nessie. They went to pick up Lucia from dance class, but she wasn't there. Krim, after finding Lucia's and Leo's bodies in the family's home, ran outside with Nessie, called for help and started screaming. "It was a scream you can't imagine is even inside of you," she testified. "I don't even know where it came from. I just thought: 'I'm never going to be able to talk to them ever again. They are dead. I just saw my kids dead.'" Lucia, who was called Lulu, was stabbed more than 30 times and had defensive wounds on her body. Leo was stabbed five times. Their father had been away on a business trip. At Ortega's trial, he spoke of walking down a long hallway at the hospital where he saw his children. "They still had this perfect skin and these long eyelashes," Kevin Krim said. "They had like sandy brown hair. ... You could see they tried really hard to wash all the blood out, but there was still kind of an auburn tint to it that I remember to this day." The father's testimony brought tears to the jurors and to people seated in the courtroom gallery. Ortega, who's 55 years old, faces life in prison when she's sentenced next month. Most Popular Overdose antidote to be given away Wednesday Apr 16 at 2:01 AM Spider-Man's brother charged in Ashland drug, mail-theft cases Apr 13 at 5:16 PM Wolves in Oregon: 124 Apr 13 at 2:01 AM Update: Teen's name released in fatal crash Apr 16 at 10:16 AM Tom Malot's legacy: home and community building Apr 12 at 5:31 PM Makerspace coming to Central Point Apr 18 at 11:27 AM Democrats in turmoil Apr 17 at 8:17 AM Renovated hospice house nearing fundraising deadline Apr 14 at 10:17 AM Johnson boogies to fast time in women's Pear win Apr 14 at 6:37 PM Grants Pass man to appear on 'American Murder Mystery' Apr 16 at 9:56 AM Airwaves auction means headaches for local TV Apr 17 at 8:16 AM Earl Winfield "Bud" Lininger Apr 15 at 2:00 AM © Copyright 2006-2018 Rosebud Media LLC. All rights reserved. Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com ~ P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501