Nanny who killed 2 kids gets life in prison, dad calls her 'evil, utterly dangerous'

The victims' parents, Marina and Kevin Krim, read emotional statements in court.

May 14, 2018, 4:26 PM

A New York City nanny who murdered two young children in 2012 was sentenced today to life in prison without parole after the victims' father argued she should "live, rot and die" behind bars.

Yoselyn Ortega had worked for Marina and Kevin Krim for two years when she killed two of their children, 6-year-old Lulu and 2-year-old Leo, on Oct. 25, 2012.

Marina Krim came home that day with her then-3-year-old daughter Nessie and opened her bathroom door to find "the bloodied, lifeless bodies of her 6-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son ... their eyes open, covered in blood," according to Assistant District Attorney Courtney Groves.

Before sentencing, Ortega said in court, using an interpreter, "I'm very sorry for everything that happened."

Ortega, who appeared emotional, said, "My life is in the hands of God."

Yoselyn Ortega, convicted of killing two of the Krim children, appears at her sentencing, May 14, 2018, in New York City.
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In Kevin Krim's victim impact statement today, he urged the judge to ensure Ortega "never leaves prison alive."

Kevin Krim called Ortega an "evil and utterly dangerous narcissist" and said she should "live, rot and die" in prison.

"Lulu and Leo are powerful forces," Marina Krim said in her emotional statement today. "They are two stars now that will always lead us forward."

Marina Krim reads an emotional victim impact statement at Yoselyn Ortega's sentencing, May 14, 2018, in New York City.
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Marina Krim said Nessie, now 9 years old, is a "happy, funny, confident, hard-worker" who loves school and "can adapt to any situation you put her in with ease."

"Each time she makes a wish, it's always for Lulu and Leo to come back to be with us. Nessie knows this wish will never come true," Marina Krim said. "Nessie knows from experience that life is not fair. But she is inspired by Lulu and Leo every day."

Photographs of the two children stabbed by their nanny are displayed alongside balloons and stuffed animals at a memorial outside the apartment building were they lived in New York City, Oct. 27, 2012.
Mary Altaffer/AP, FILE

The Krims also called out Ortega's family.

Kevin Krim claimed Ortega's family lied about the nanny's background and faked a reference to make her appear qualified so she would be hired.

Yoselyn Ortega listens to court proceedings during the first day of her murder trial for the deaths of the two children in her care, in New York City, March 1, 2018.
WYNY-TV/Pool Photo via AP

Because of a gap in the law, Kevin Krim said, Ortega's family won't be held responsible.

Kevin Krim said his family is pushing to make it a crime to falsify job applications and references for someone working in childcare.

"Lulu and Leo's law" has been introduced in the New York state legislature "in direct response" to this case, he said.

Kevin Krim reads an emotional victim impact statement at Yoselyn Ortega's sentencing, May 14, 2018, in New York City.
ABC News

Marina Krim said during the trial Ortega's son called his mother's crimes an "accident" and said he winked and grinned at the jury "as if it was some kind of reality TV show."

Marina Krim said calling the killings an "accident" shows Oretega's family has "still not taken responsibility for their roles in these murders. They're still trying to cover up for her and themselves."

In the wake of the tragedy, the Krims had two more children, Felix and Linus.

They also founded The Lulu & Leo Fund and Choose Creativity, an organization that offers parents and schools a curriculum based on 10 principles of creativity "that can help anyone thrive and build resiliency in all facets of their lives," according to its website.

Ortega, who was found guilty last month on two counts each of first-degree and second-degree murder, had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Her defense attorney, Valerie Van Leer-Greenberg, argued she was "suffering from severe psychosis" and "dissociation" at the time of the killings.

ABC News' Dominick Proto contributed to this report.