Nanny Yoselyn Ortega fit to stand trial for Krim child murders
Nanny Yoselyn Ortega has been charged with the murders of Lucia, 6, and her brother, Leo, 2.
A nanny accused of killing two young children in her care has been examined by psychiatrists who found she was fit to stand trial.
Yoselyn Ortega has pleaded not guilty to murdering Lucia Krim, 6, and her brother, Leo, 2, in their Upper West side apartment on October 25 last year.
The 50-year-old appeared in the State Supreme Court in Manhattan Friday, handcuffed and wearing a prison issue tan jumpsuit with her hair in braids, the New York Times reported.
Justice Gregory Carro told the court two state psychiatrists had interviewed Ortega a number of times, and reviewed her “rather voluminous” medical records.
"Both psychiatrist find the defendant can in a meaningful way assist in her own defense and have found her fit to proceed to trial," said Justice Carro, the New York Daily News reported.
Her defense attorney said his client intends to challenge the finding.
Ortega, who was born in the Dominican Republic, is being held without bail at the prison ward for psychiatric patients at Elmhurst Hospital Center in the borough of Queens, BBC News reported.
If convicted she faces life in prison. She will appear in court on May 6.
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!