Fox News reports that Kermit Gosnell has been found guilty of murder. Gosnell is guilty of 3 first-degree murders of infant children by severing their spinal cords after they were born alive at his West Philadelphia clinic. Gosnell also was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 death of a 41-year-old woman by the name of Karnamaya Mongar , who died from an overdose of drugs while undergoing an abortion at the clinic. Prosecutors described the clinic as a “house of horrors” because of the unsanitary conditions and unsafe practices that defined it.
The next step in this trial is the sentencing phase. Gosnell could get either the Death Penalty or life in Prison due to the Capital Murder charge. Gosnell appeared to take the news in stride while others in the courtroom were shaken up. Even the Prosecutor shed a tear, it may have been a happy tear but I am not sure about that.
The verdicts were announced just before 3 p.m., a few hours after the jurors informed the judge in the case that they were hung on two charges. It remained unclear which of the more than 260 charges against Gosnell had caused the stalemate. When jurors were brought into the courtroom about 11:15 a.m., Judge Jeffrey P. Minehart gave them what is commonly called a Spencer charge, telling them to reexamine the evidence and continue trying to reach a verdict. “The fact that you are stuck on two counts — it shows you are considering the evidence seriously. It’s an indication of your sincerity and your objectivity,” Minehart said. “It’s a difficult case. We appreciate that.” Minehart said the gridlock also could represent “confusion” about the details of the charges in the case and the evidence presented. He said he was sending the jurors back to further consider that evidence in hopes of reaching a consensus. But, he added, “no juror should surrender an honest conviction” merely to reach a verdict. Monday’s verdicts came during the jurors’ 10th day of deliberations, which have stretched into a third week.
I honestly believed he would get off but I am glad he was found guilty. Gosnell, 72, faced four first-degree murder charges in connection with babies identified in court as A, C, D and E. He was acquitted in the death of Baby E. We do not know why at this time. He originally faced seven first-degree murder charges, but Minehart dismissed three of those charges early in the trial. Gosnell was also found guilty of many lesser charges. Prosecutors accused him of a slew of offenses, including 227 counts of failing to observe Pennsylvania’s 24-hour waiting period before performing an abortion, two dozen counts of performing abortions beyond the state’s 24-week legal limit, and various other charges, including conspiracy and running a corrupt organization.
The Jury had to consider many counts, but to be able to find Gosnell guilty of murder it would need to be proven the children were born alive outside of the mother’s womb. That was a central theme in the trial that started last March.
Gosnell’s Attorney said that the children were not born alive because they had been terminated due to utero using a drug called Digoxin. A medical examiner said he could not tell either way because the children’s remains had been frozen.
The Jury heard testimoney from Gosnell’s employees they said the children were born alive. They also said the children were crying when Gosnell severed their spinal cords.
One silver lining is that a journalist who has been covering this trial was a strong advocate of Abortion is now anti-Abortion.
By: Randy Rose
