May 15, 2013 Philadelphia abortion provider Kermit Gosnell, MD, yesterday agreed to waive his right to appeal his murder conviction and thereby avoided the possibility of the death penalty, according to news reports. Instead, he will live the rest of his life in prison. Dr. Gosnell, 72, was found guilty of the first-degree murder of 3 infants by a Court of Common Pleas jury on Monday, as reported by Medscape Medical News. He was also guilty of conspiracy to murder in 2 of those infant deaths and of involuntary manslaughter in the death of a woman undergoing an abortion. He was also convicted on many lesser charges.
The Philadelphia Inquirer, which has covered the trial more extensively than any other major news outlet, provided the following account of Dr. Gosnell in the courtroom yesterday: Gosnell did not speak about his decision [to waive his right to appeal] except to answer the judge's questions about understanding what he was doing.
"Are you satisfied with your attorney's representation?" Judge Jeffrey P. Minehart asked. Gosnell turned to face defense attorney Jack McMahon, smiled broadly, and replied, "I am very satisfied with your representation." Assistant District Attorney Edward Cameron then called out asking if Gosnell were taking psychiatric medication or under treatment for mental illness, adding, "No offense." "No offense taken," Gosnell replied. "No, I'm not." Minehart immediately sentenced Gosnell to 2 consecutive life prison terms without parole on 2 of the first-degree murder counts.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/736481 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/804196...
Posted By: Jen Fad
Wednesday, May 15th 2013 at 7:51PM
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