Philadelphia abortion provider Kermit Gosnell was found guilty of first-degree murder Monday and could be sentenced to death, according to the Associated Press. The 72-year-old was convicted on three counts of first-degree murder, which included killing babies by cutting their spinal cords with scissors.
The non-board-certified OB/GYN was found guilty on 21 counts of abortion of the unborn, 24 weeks or older – abortions past the timeframe are illegal in the state of Pennsylvania. Gosnell was also found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in relation to the death of 41-year-old Karnamaya Mongar, who passed away from an aesthetic overdose during a second trimester abortion at his West Philadelphia clinic.
Eileen O’Neill, Gosnell’s co-defendant, was found guilty of conspiracy to manage a corrupt organization as well as two counts of theft by deception for operating without a certified license to practice medicine. The 56-year-old medical school graduate was not charged with performing illegal abortions.
Gosnell and O’Neill both pleaded not guilty at the beginning of the trial.
When the verdict was announced, Gosnell shook his head back and forth while letting out a sigh. Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore cried after the judge read the verdict in one of the most high-profile cases in the United States.
“Are you human?” prosecutor Ed Cameron said during closing arguments as Gosnell sat at the defense table, according to the New York Daily News. “To med these women up and stick knives in the backs of babies?”
Gosnell’s defense attorney Jack McMahon told CNN that it is unclear as to whether or not his client will appeal the decision. “We were disappointed. We put on a vigorous defense. We think it went well for us in the courtroom. But the jury spoke, and we respect the jury’s verdict,” said McMahon.
The court will now decide what penalty Gosnell will receive. Jurors will discuss if they will give Gosnell the death penalty. William Brennan, a former attorney for Gosnell, said it’s possible that the defendant might testify.
In 2011, a report from the grand jury found “people who ran this sham medical practice included no doctors other than Gosnell himself, and not even a single nurse.” It was alleged that Gosnell utilized unsanitary instruments, completed procedures in filthy rooms, which included litter boxes and animals being present at the time of the operation, and unlicensed employees.
The city’s chief medical examiner Sam Gulino testified that the remains of aborted fetuses were placed in water jugs, a freezer and pet food containers. The USA Today reported that Lynda Williams, a former clinic worker, testified that she was ordered to use surgical scissors to cut the spine of an aborted fetus she had found in a toilet with its arm still moving.
However, the defense attorney accused the prosecutors of racism and elitism in what he called “the most extraordinary hype and exaggeration in the history of the criminal justice system.”