In a quiet apartment building on the Upper West Side, a scream suddenly breaks the silence. Not just any scream, something raw, something almost inhuman. The kind that sends people rushing out of their apartments. [music] Behind a locked bathroom door are two children and the nanny, the one they trusted more than anyone.
Just an hour earlier, everything seemed completely normal. The elevator, a smile, an ordinary day. So, what could have happened in such a short amount of time? How does someone who is part of the family become the source of something so horrific? >> [music] >> And the most haunting question of all, were there signs that everyone simply missed? This is a story of trust that turned into tragedy and a crime that, even now, still has no clear answer.
This case takes us to the Upper West Side, a place that doesn’t need introductions. There’s a quiet confidence in the air here, like someone who knows exactly who they are and has nothing to prove. In the mornings, the streets carry the smell of freshly ground coffee from small cafes. During the day, people walk slowly, often with a book in hand, lost in their own thoughts.
And in the evening, the park is covered in a soft golden light as the sun sets over the Hudson River. It’s the kind of place that feels calm, >> [music] >> safe, almost untouched by chaos. Nestled between Central Park and Riverside Park, the neighborhood moves at its own steady rhythm, unhurried, stable.
[music] Here, trust feels natural. Fear feels distant. The events unfolded inside a 10-story building on West 75th Street, just a block from Central Park. On October 25th, 2012, a woman named Charlotte stepped into an elevator with two children and their nanny. It was a short ride, completely ordinary. I told the little girl, “You know how beautiful you are?” She later recalled.
She smiled and said, “Thank you.” In that moment, there was nothing unusual. Everything felt completely normal. Less than an hour later, around 5:30 in the evening, Charlotte found herself back in that same elevator, and that’s when she heard it, a scream, wild, almost animal-like. It was pure horror.
“I’ve never heard anything like it.” When the elevator doors opened, she saw a woman on the mezzanine screaming in complete desperation. Her voice echoed through the entire building. People began stepping out of their apartments. At that same time, Marina Krim was at a swimming class with her younger daughter, Nessi. The other children, 6-year-old Lucia, known as Lulu, and 2-year-old Leo, were at home with their nanny, Yoselyn Ortega.
Everything was supposed to be normal. Just another day, but there were no messages, no updates. “Where are you? Where is Lulu?” she texted. With every passing minute, the anxiety grew stronger. Marina rushed home. She opened the door and instantly felt it. Something was wrong. The apartment was dark and silent, like everything inside had frozen in place.
The doorman told her no one had left. She went upstairs and started searching children. Her movements were quick, but uncertain. Her daughter’s bag and her son’s stroller were still there, and somehow, that only made it worse. Room after room, until she reached the bathroom. A thin strip of light showed beneath the door.
Her heart started pounding. Inside were Leo and Lucia. Lucia, 30 stab wounds. Leo, five. The place that once echoed with children’s laughter had turned into a scene of unimaginable violence. Yoselyn was there, their eyes met, no words. >> [music] >> And then, suddenly, she grabbed a knife and began stabbing herself frantically, desperately.
Neighbors heard the screams. It was a horrible sound. Someone was shouting that her throat had been cut. The doorman Glenn Loudy called 911. On the line, screaming, panic, chaos. Police arrived quickly. In the lobby, Marina was screaming, clutching Nessie tightly in her arms. Inside the apartment, blood, knives, complete devastation.
Meanwhile, Kevin was on his way back from a business trip. He had no idea what had happened. When he arrived, they let him listen to a message from Marina. Just screams. [music] And then, the truth. And in that moment, life split forever into before and after. Hey guys. I’ll take just a quick second here. I’m really curious where you’re all watching from, so I’d love for you to drop your city in the comments and let me know what time it is for you right now.
Thanks for taking a moment to do that. I appreciate [music] it. And now, let’s keep going. Before we get into the main part of this video, let’s take a moment to remember Lucia and Leo Krim. Please leave the hashtag number forever with us in the comments. 37-year-old Kevin Krim and his 36-year-old wife Marina were raising three children and, from the outside, looked exactly like the kind of family people imagine as happy and stable.
They were originally from California, but over time decided to change their lives, moving from San Francisco to New New City. For them, it was a fresh start, a chance to build a structured, safe future for their children in a big city. Marina had worked as a preschool teacher after earning her bachelor’s degree in fine arts, and later a master’s degree in education.
She truly understood children, their needs, their emotions, their psychology. After her own children were born, Marina stepped away from her career and chose to dedicate herself fully to her family and life at home. It was a conscious decision, driven by her desire to be present for every stage of her children’s lives.
As time went on and responsibilities grew, the couple decided to hire a nanny for extra help. That’s when 50-year-old Yoselyn Ortega became part of their home. She had been with the family for about 2 years and had become part of their daily routine, someone they trusted with what mattered most, their children. There were no warning signs, no red flags, nothing that pointed to danger.
After the tragedy, Yoselyn was arrested immediately. She was carried out of the building on a stretcher, surrounded by police and paramedics. She was in critical condition from self-inflicted injuries and was rushed to New York Presbyterian Hospital for emergency care. The building that had, just hours earlier, been filled with the rhythm of ordinary family life, had turned into a place of silent shock, a stark reminder of how fragile the sense of safety really is.
In other news tonight, there is a growing memorial outside an Upper West Side apartment building where a nanny is accused of killing two children. As news of the tragedy began to spread, people were completely stunned by what they were hearing. Almost immediately, flowers and candles started appearing outside the building, a quiet, growing memorial to what had happened.
Police escorted Marina and Nessie out of the building, covering them with a white sheet to shield them from cameras and photographers. Marina was taken to the hospital suffering from severe psychological trauma. Leo and Lucia were rushed to St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center, but sadly both children were pronounced dead. From that moment on, the case was officially classified as a double homicide.
And the question became unavoidable, what actually happened here and why? They came to the Upper West Side today and stared. Silently. Hopelessly trying to make some sense of all the horror and pain here. 11? But how in the world do you make sense out of this? The children’s nanny, Yoselyn, who the kids called Josie, was never seen as just an employee.
She was, in many ways, part of the family. She spent most of the day with the children. She knew their routines, their fears, their little joys. Over time, her presence became so familiar that it simply blended into everyday life, something stable, something safe. Yoselyn was born in Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic.
Later, she moved to the United States where she built a life and eventually became a citizen. In Manhattan, she lived with her sister and her son, balancing work and motherhood. It was her sister who became the connection between Yoselyn and the Crim family. She also worked as a nanny and the child she cared for attended the same preschool as Lucia.
That’s where their paths first crossed. During one of the ballet classes, Yoselyn’s sister approached Marina and asked if she was looking for a nanny. At the time, Marina said no, but the family had just started considering the idea after moving to New York. They asked for a recommendation and everything seemed perfect.
Yoselyn came across as calm, experienced, and reliable. Only later would it come to light that one of her relatives had provided a false reference claiming she had worked with a child who in reality never existed. [music] But at the time, none of that was known. Marina kept a blog about family life. She wrote about her children, their walks, the simple joys of everyday moments, [music] and between the lines it was clear Yoselyn was an important part of that life.
Her name appeared naturally, without hesitation or concern. In February 2012, the Krim family traveled to the Dominican Republic for 9 days. They stayed at Yoselyn’s sister’s home, a gesture that showed complete trust. At the time, it was just a warm, ordinary trip. Only later would it take on a much darker meaning.
“We spent the last 9 days in the Dominican Republic,” Marina wrote on February 18th. “Half the time we stayed at our nanny Josie’s sister’s home in Santiago, and the rest at Balcone Atlantico in Las Terrenas, a condo-style hotel where the Real Housewives of the Dominican Republic and their families vacation on weekends. It was wonderful.
We met Josie’s amazing family, and the Dominican Republic is truly a beautiful country.” Marina and Kevin were incredibly devoted, attentive parents. Their entire lives, every daily decision revolved around their children. You could see it again and again in Marina’s blog posts. There was love in every line, a deep connection, a genuine joy in being a family.
Her words were simple, but real, the kind of warmth you just can’t fake. On September 30th, Marina posted a photo of her son after his second birthday. There was nothing staged [music] or polished about it, just an ordinary moment from everyday life filled with tenderness and quiet happiness. Those small imperfect moments were exactly what made her blog feel so alive and so deeply human.
One of the best parts of my day is walking the girls to school and then having three precious hours just for me and little Leo, she wrote. I think I might be getting too sentimental. I just love this little guy so much. It sounded like something any mother might say, someone who was truly present, truly enjoying every moment with her child.
There was nothing unusual about those words. And maybe that’s what makes them hurt even more now. It was the voice of a calm, happy life, a life that had no idea just how fragile it really was. Investigators are trying to figure out this morning what could have made a New York family’s caretaker turn on the children she was paid to protect.
>> Move it up. I WON’T GO. KEEP GOING. On the floor of the bathroom is a nanny uh who apparently had inflicted wounds in her on her throat. Herbert Klein lives next door and heard the mother screaming. She’s uh crying out “What am I going to do with the rest of my life? My life is ruined. I have no children. I have no children.
” Police escorted Krim from the scene after dark with her only surviving child, a sheet draped over their heads. The 50-year-old nanny survived the wounds to her throat and this morning police say she’s in critical but stable condition at a nearby hospital. The self-inflicted wound to her neck had somehow missed all of the major arteries and veins.
Doctors initially placed her in a medically induced coma, put her on a ventilator, and kept her under constant police supervision. Two days later, she regained consciousness but she couldn’t speak. She was handcuffed to her hospital bed, and because of the severity of her injuries, she had to communicate by silently moving her lips and pointing to letters on an alphabet chart.
She wrote, “I had to do everything and take care of the children. I was hired only as a nanny, but she wanted me to do everything. >> [music] >> She demanded 5 hours of cleaning every week.” Investigators began taking a closer look at Yoselyn’s life, trying to understand if there had been any warning signs. At first, everything seemed ordinary, but with each new detail, the picture became more and more unsettling.
Just a few months before the tragedy, she had brought her 17-year-old son from the Dominican Republic to New York City. It was a major step financially and emotionally. She planned to enroll him in a private school, hoping to give him a better future. Her brother had paid for the first year, but after that, the responsibility fell entirely on her.
And that created constant pressure and a growing fear that she wouldn’t be able to keep up. She had separated from her son’s father back in 2001. According to her ex-husband, there had never been any serious conflicts between them. He was shocked and couldn’t explain what had happened.
“I had no idea what demons she was carrying inside,” he later told the media. Yoselyn’s niece was also stunned. “She loved those kids. I don’t know what could have made her do this.” But she added something else. In the months leading up to the tragedy, her aunt hadn’t seemed like herself. She was nervous, tense, like she was under constant invisible pressure.
A neighbor who saw her just days before described her as withdrawn. She didn’t talk to anyone. She just stared straight ahead, like she wasn’t really there. Other neighbors in Hamilton Heights noticed changes, too. She had lost weight, she looked exhausted, anxious, on edge. Not long before that, she had lost her apartment in the Bronx and moved back in with her sister.
To get by, she had started selling her personal belongings. During questioning, Yoselyn spoke about serious financial problems. According to sources, she felt growing resentment after the family asked her to take on additional household duties in exchange for higher pay. “I’m paid to take care of the children, not to clean.
” she said. The day before the murders, according to a family acquaintance, she had asked for a ride to see a therapist, which suggests she knew something wasn’t right. After surgery, doctors described her condition as catatonic. She barely responded. Only over time did she begin to move her eyes and nod.
And the more she seemed to understand what had happened, the more she withdrew into herself. Eventually, while still in her hospital bed, she was formally charged with murder. And just like that, a story that began with trust ended in a tragedy that still has no clear answer. That Manhattan nanny who stabbed two children in her care has been indicted.
50-year-old Yoselyn Ortega has been indicted now with first-degree murder. She is charged with killing 6-year-old Lucia Creem and her 2-year-old brother Leo in their Manhattan apartment back on October 25th. The children’s mother found them dead when she returned home with from an errand with another child.
As this story began making headlines around the world again, people struggled to process the sheer scale of what had happened. It wasn’t just the violence that shocked them, it was who had carried it out. The realization that it was someone trusted with the children, without hesitation, shattered the very sense of safety.
>> [music] >> Even in places that feel calm, protected, untouched, the grief we all feel for Kevin, Marina, and their family is immeasurable, said Mark Hoffman. There simply are no words to describe the magnitude of this tragedy. These weren’t just formal statements. This was confusion, pain, and shock shared by everyone.
Kevin and Marina’s parents, along with the rest of their family, flew to New York City almost immediately. A city that had once symbolized a new beginning had suddenly become a place of loss. I don’t know if they’ll ever go back to that apartment, Kevin’s father said quietly. I don’t even know if they can. Kevin tried to hold himself together for his wife and for their only surviving child.
He texted that he can’t talk to us right now because he’ll just break down, his father said. Those were the words of a man on the edge. This is the worst nightmare you could possibly imagine, said the children’s grandmother, Karen Krim. We don’t understand what caused this, and that question remained unanswered.
Yoselyn pleaded not guilty, citing her mental state, and that became the center of a long legal battle. Prosecutors argued that she acted deliberately with full awareness of what she was doing. The defense asked for time. Thousands of pages of medical records would need to determine whether she was even fit to stand trial. At that point, she was being held in the psychiatric unit at Elmhurst Hospital Center, caught between medicine and the law.
A memorial service was held at Avery Fisher Hall. Inside, there was a silence heavier than any words. Afterward, Kevin and Marina addressed the public. Thank you for your support. Lulu and Leo were our best friends, and there are no words to describe how much we miss them. Our daughter, Nessie, is strong, and we will be strong for her. They chose to honor their children through action.
We are creating the Lulu and Leo fund to help other children gain access to the arts and sciences. Even after unimaginable loss, they found the strength to create something meaningful. And in October 2013, a new light entered their lives, their son, Felix. “Fall is an emotionally difficult time of year for us,” the family wrote on Facebook.
“There are important dates, Leo’s birthday and the anniversary of Lulu and Leo’s deaths. At the same time, we also have joyful news. Marina is expecting a baby boy due at the end of January. Nessie is loving her role as the new queen of the family, and little Felix, who turns one this weekend, is excited to give up his crib and move in with Nessie into a new bunk bed.
With every new child, we feel an even deeper connection to Lulu and Leo, who live on in the looks, gestures, and voices of their brothers and sisters.” Later, Marina gave birth to another son named Jonas. In the end, Yoselyn Ortega was found competent to stand trial. Experts concluded that she understood the legal process, was aware of the charges against her, and was capable of participating in her own defense.
It marked a turning point in a case that had spent years caught between criminal law and questions of mental health. After countless evaluations, she finally appeared before Judge Gregory Caro, and the case began to move forward. “If you don’t feel any emotion during this trial, check your pulse,” the judge told the jury. It was a warning.
What lay ahead would be disturbing testimony and evidence that would be hard to hear. Yoselyn rejected a plea deal that would have given her 30 years in prison in exchange for a guilty plea. Instead, she chose to go to trial. That decision came with serious risk, the possibility of a much harsher sentence, but it also gave her the chance to build her defense around her mental state.
The years leading up to the trial were filled with hearings focused on criminal responsibility. Every report, every document only made the picture more complicated. In New York, an insanity defense is one of the most difficult to prove. It’s not enough to show mental illness, the defense has to demonstrate that at the moment of the crime, the person didn’t understand their actions.
And that’s exactly what the defense argued. They claimed her mental state had deteriorated to the point where she lost control and lost touch with reality. Prosecutors rejected that completely. They insisted her actions were deliberate, methodical, and fully conscious. And that clash between loss of control and calculated intent became the core of the entire trial.
Trial against a nanny accused of killing two young children in her care got underway today in Lower Manhattan. Prosecutors say in 2012, Yoselyn Ortega stabbed a 6-year-old girl and her 2-year-old brother inside their family’s Upper West Side apartment. CBS 2’s Hazel Sanchez has more now from the courthouse.
Nanny Yoselyn Ortega sat emotionless as prosecutors detailed the unthinkable murders of the two beautiful children who were under her care. Marina Krim opened the bathroom door and saw the bloodied, lifeless bodies of her 6-year-old daughter, 2-year-old son, stacked in the bathtub, their eyes open, covered in blood, staring ahead.
And between her and her dead babies was the defendant, the person responsible for this atrocity, standing, holding one of the knives that she had used to kill those babies. These are the undisputed facts in this case. And these are the facts and the evidence that will prove to you beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant intentionally murdered Lulu and Leo Krim on October 25th, 2012.
That she knew what she was doing when she killed them, and that she knew that killing them was wrong. I will ask that you determine whether or not my client had an ability to understand and perceive and confront her illness on October 25th, ’12. I will ask you to determine whether she had the pre-requisite mental state.
>> summation entirely. >> [music] >> Except leave said. The insanity defense to be proffered by us for data is deeply rooted in the cultural and legal traditions of our democratic society. While on the one hand there is legitimate need to hold and punish criminal defendants who are accountable and responsible for assuming to our laws for their actions.
There is also the ledge Well, I’m going to instruct you on the law. That’s what I instruct you on. That’s the law, okay? Go ahead. I will argue and the defense will show Objection as to I will argue. I will prove and the defense will show that it it is wrong and a wrong has been committed here and intentionally wrong.
If a person a person is capable of that intent. Is a person was she capable of forming an intent to kill on October 25th, ’12. That is the question here. You are and I will ask you to determine at the end of this case whether or not these acts were driven by my client’s acute psychotic state. My client’s Judge, this is what I Overruled.
Go ahead. Whether or not these acts that are set out on people’s direct were driven by my client’s acute psychotic state were they driven by her delusions, her hallucinations, her dissociation, and her severe depression, or were they intentional? Yoselyn Ortega viciously and violently slaughtered Lucia Crim and Leo Crim on October 25th, 2012.
Intentionally and deliberately. >> According to the defense, 55-year-old Ortega is not responsible for murder. She too is a victim of mental illness never treated. >> The evidence will show that she has a corroborated history of hearing voices and dissociating from reality since the age of 16.
Now, the defense says Ortega had no motive to kill the children, a hallmark of insanity. The prosecution, however, says her actions were deliberate and an attempt to get even with the Crims for trying to make her work hard. According to investigators, Yoselyn had taken two knives from the kitchen in advance.
This wasn’t an impulsive act, it was a conscious decision. She then moved into the bathroom, a small enclosed space that became a trap, a place with no way out. During opening statements, prosecutor Courtney Grove said that Yoselyn deliberately cut the children’s throats to prevent them from screaming. According to the prosecution, that pointed to complete control over the situation.
Grove emphasized that Lucia understood what was happening. The 30 wounds suggested a struggle that the child fought to survive until the very end. The scene was so brutal that first responders initially feared the worst. Leo’s body was covered in so much blood that one officer was afraid he might lose his grip while carrying him.
She planned this and chose a moment when no one would interfere, Grove said. Prosecutors insisted there was no chaos, no loss of control, only cold, deliberate actions. As for the therapy visit, it had been her first contact with a mental health professional in nearly 30 years. She complained of anxiety, stress, and a sense of failure.
But, according to the prosecution, that didn’t indicate any break from reality. Her therapist, Thomas Caffrey, confirmed that she spoke about anxiety and depression, but did not appear dangerous. There were no signs of hallucinations or psychosis. Her behavior was controlled. One of the most difficult moments came when Marina took the stand.
At that point, it wasn’t about evidence or expert opinions anymore. It was a mother’s voice and a level of pain that words can’t fully capture. The Crim didn’t wait to be asked any questions, but voice trembling, her body shaking, burst aloud in the courtroom calling Yoselyn Ortega a liar. >> It’s like a total horror movie. I walk down the hall and I see the light on under the door, she said. I see Lulu.
I knew that she was dead. She’s lying in the bathtub and her eyes are open. I see Leo next to her. They had blood on them. Then, I see the defendant. Blood all over her and eyes bugging out. All I remember saying to her is, “I hate you.” Prosecutors say Lulu tried desperately to defend herself.
She knew what was happening. She understood what the defendant was doing and she fought to live. And the defendant repaid Lulu’s resistance with almost 30 different stab and slash wounds to her body and her neck. The devastated mother says, quote, “She killed my best friends.” And when leaving the courtroom, Crim turned to Ortega and said, “You’re gross.
You’re disgusting.” A defense attorney asked Krim about talking to police after the murders. Krim grew upset and yelled, “I don’t remember what I said that day. I was grieving in a massive way.” Krim testified a few weeks before the murders, she saw the nanny quote looking at me with this glare on her face that was just pure evil, a really weird mean look.
We saw jurors in tears as they left the courtroom after hearing Marina Krim’s heartbreaking testimony. The defendant Yoselyn Ortega remained emotionless throughout the entire hearing. From emotional to angry, it was day two of testimony in the case of the Upper West Side nanny charged with killing two children in her care. Today, [music] defiant mother Marina Krim was back on the stand.
At times, she directly addressed her former nanny, Yoselyn Ortega, and called her evil. Our News Reporter Rob Nelson has the story. After finishing two days of gut-wrenching testimony, Marina Krim again lashed out at the accused killer of her two children today, shouting, “You’re evil. You’re evil. Please, get me out of here.
” as she left the courtroom in a fit of anger and grief. For the jury, this trial became a true test. They spent hours listening to detailed descriptions of what had happened to the children, but the hardest moments were the crime scene photos, unfiltered, unsoftened. They were expected to remain calm, objective despite what they were seeing.
One juror began to shake. Another asked to be excused, admitting he could no longer stay impartial. During the presentation of the photos, Yoselyn didn’t look at the screen. She just stared into space like she was trying to disconnect from reality. Her behavior raised concerns. At times, she would laugh even during a police officer’s testimony.
Other times, she shook her head or rolled her eyes as if refusing to accept what was happening. The defense argued that she had suffered from psychosis and hallucinations for years. Instead of seeking treatment, they said she had relied on faith and prayer. After the murders, according to them, she claimed she had been possessed, that she had heard voices.
“Mental illness isn’t always visible,” her attorney said. “It can grow inside someone for years.” Prosecutors rejected that. They insisted her actions were deliberate and controlled, that she had left her phone at home, prepared documents as if everything had been planned in advance. “Her intent was to kill the children and then herself,” they argued.
Her son also testified. His words stunned the courtroom. He called it an accident. “I’m sorry, an accident?” the prosecutor asked. “Two children are dead,” he repeated. The room fell silent. He said he had never seen anything unusual in his mother. That day, she seemed sad, but otherwise normal. She kissed him goodbye, just like she had done hundreds of times before.
That night, he received a call from her phone. A man’s voice said only, “I need help.” And then the line went dead. The phone was never found. There was no clear motive, only theories, jealousy, money, pressure. “Maybe you won’t get an answer,” the prosecutor said, “because there isn’t one.” Then Kevin took the stand. The courtroom went completely still.
“Lulu and Leo were lying on the beds,” he said. “They looked beautiful and at the same time unrecognizable.” He fell to his knees, kissed them, and said goodbye. And in that moment, the case stopped being about evidence. It became something else entirely, a loss that could never be undone. With a look of disgust on his face, Kevin Krim sat on a courtroom bench just a few yards away from Yoselyn Ortega, the woman he once trusted to care for his children.
Her attorney says the 55-year-old suffers from severe psychosis and depression and heard voices telling her to kill the kids. But a video shown during the trial contradicts the defense’s claim as Ortega is heard saying she never heard or saw Satan. Do you remember at all talking to him about that you felt that you were being possessed by devil? The devil was taking control of your body.
No. No. Prosecutors claim Ortega acted out of anger against the Krims, particularly the children’s mother, Marina Krim, for allegedly overworking her. Marina Krim was not in court today. The jurors are expected to begin deliberating tomorrow in Lower Manhattan. Hazel Sanchez, CBS 2 Minute. >> lasted 2 months and the level of public and media attention was immense, almost overwhelming.
Everyone seemed to hold their breath as the jury finally went into deliberation. And just 2 days later, the verdict was announced. A jury today convicted a nanny of murder in the brutal stabbing of two young children in her care. >> Yoselyn Ortega was found guilty of killing 6-year-old Lulu Krim and her 2-year-old brother Leo.
You find the defendant guilty, not guilty, or not responsible by reason of mental disease or defect? Yoselyn Ortega sat nearly still as four guilty verdicts were read, only moving once to wipe a tear from her >> Yoselyn Ortega was found guilty on two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree murder. The victims’ father, Kevin Krim, listened from the front row with alternate jurors who had already been dismissed but came back to hear the verdict.
The impact this case had on the jury was undeniable. You could see it and you could feel it. We were divided at the beginning um and we were divided uh until the moment we made the decision. I think we feel I think I speak on behalf of everybody I say we feel great in the decision that we rendered. This was a very difficult decision for all of us.
While the basic facts were very clear from the beginning, uh we also wanted to be sure that we were giving everybody a fair opportunity. Um it was not a decision we reached lightly or easily. There were some uh raised voices and a lot of tears. But um I think we all feel good that we addressed all of the issues and fairly weighed everything that was presented to us.
After the verdict was announced, Kevin wrote on Facebook that he had hugged as many jurors as he could telling them they had gone through hell just by listening to this case. This has been an incredibly difficult journey for us, he [music] wrote. But at the same time, it reminded us why we love New York City, the city that Lulu and Leo loved so deeply.
And after that, it was time for Yoselyn to be sentenced. Something worse, your honor. This defendant murdered two innocent children. She did it intentionally. She did it with the full knowledge of the consequences of her actions. Now is the time for justice. Justice for Lulu. Justice for Leo. Justice for Marina. Kevin and Nessie.
Justice for the people of the state of New York. Justice for all the people who are part of the Krim’s life. We love the Krim family. We love their children. And it’s time for justice to be meted out for the horrific acts of violence that this defendant inflicted upon those children and upon parents and family. Nobody saw signs of a serious mental illness because there was no serious mental illness.
That’s what the jury found and rejected her defense. And that’s the way that she should be sentenced. During the sentencing, Kevin described Yoselyn as the embodiment of evil, an extremely dangerous narcissist, and a complete failure as a human being. Addressing the judge, he said, “I understand that you probably don’t need to hear this request from the father of Lulu and Leo after everything you’ve already heard and seen,” he said, “but I’m going to say it anyway.
” “In your decision, please follow the law as you always do, and make sure the defendant never leaves prison alive. She knows nothing about accountability or remorse, and she should never be allowed to know hope.” More importantly, it is right that she will go from being hated by the world to being forgotten by the world before she’s even dead.
[clears throat] While Lulu and Leo’s siblings and legions of family and friends, even friends who never knew them, will never forget their inspiring legacies. In my best moments, I feel Lulu and Leo inspiring me and carrying me forward. In my most difficult moments, I try to ask myself what Lulu and Leo would choose to do. It’s the best beacon of hope, best guidance, of us we could ever hope to have.
Thank you. Marina also took the stand during the sentencing. My family and I, we create and build. The defendant may think she destroyed Lulu and Leo, but she is a failure in this, too. Lulu and Leo are powerful forces. They are two stars now that will always lead us forward. Thank you. With the help of an interpreter speaking in Spanish, Yoselyn addressed the court and said, I’m very sorry for everything that happened.
But, I hope that no one goes through what I have gone through. What I have gone through. I know so many people wish me all the worst. My life is in the hands of God. I ask for a great deal of forgiveness. Yoselyn’s attorney asked the court for leniency, urging the judge not to impose the harshest possible sentence, but instead to place her in secure custody under constant supervision by doctors and mental health specialists.
He argued that she needed treatment, not just isolation. I understand that my client took the lives of two precious children, he said in court. But I ask you not to condemn her to a life with no possibility of parole. The judge firmly rejected that request. Judge Gregory Kero called what happened an act of pure evil and specifically thanked the jury for rejecting the insanity defense.
Your actions that day, including the planning and your thoughts of suicide, leave no room for doubt, the judge said. The only thing that remains unclear, largely because you claim to remember nothing, is why you chose to take the lives of those children. Just moments ago, the sentence came down and Jocelyn Ortega will spend the rest of her life behind bars.
>> The court sentenced Yoselyn Ortega to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The parents are channeling their pain into a new initiative named for their children, advocating for legislation that makes falsifying references on job applications for caregiver Trying in some way to reduce the chances of something like this ever happening again, the family did the only thing that felt possible after such a loss.
They tried to find meaning through action. They supported a legislative effort to introduce criminal liability for providing false references in jobs involving the care of children. The idea was simple, trust cannot be built on lies, especially when children’s safety is at stake. We were deceived and betrayed, the family said, and those responsible still haven’t been held accountable.
Every child deserves an honest caregiver. There was no anger in those words. Only pain and a quiet determination to make sure this never happens again. Trying to end a story like this with words almost feels impossible. What happened in October 2012 goes beyond what most people can even comprehend. It’s the kind of horror you can’t imagine and even harder to accept.
This case leaves behind a sense of emptiness and questions with no answers. And still, even after everything, Marina and Kevin found the strength to create the Lulu and Leo fund. Not for themselves, for other children so that the memory of their children would live on not only through tragedy, but through something good.
Their strength is rare, their dignity almost unimaginable. And maybe [music] in the end, this is what remains a reminder that even after the darkest night, humanity can still survive. And that’s where this story comes to an end, but cases like this are reminder that real life can sometimes be more terrifying than anything you see in movies or fiction.
Behind every story like this are real people, real events, and questions that sometimes never get answered. If you found this video interesting, support the channel, leave a like, share your thoughts in the comments, and make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss what’s coming next.
There are many more stories ahead, mysterious, chilling, and at the same time deeply compelling.
