Abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell spared death sentence
By Becky Bratu, Staff Writer, NBC News
Former Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, who was found guilty of first-degree murder, was spared the death sentence Tuesday after he agreed to forgo an appeal.
The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office agreed to two life sentences without the possibility of parole in exchange for not appealing.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, but Gosnell's age would have made it unlikely he would be executed before his appeals ran out.
Gosnell, 72, was convicted Monday of three counts of first-degree murder for the death of three babies that prosecutors said were delivered alive and subsequently killed. He was convicted of other charges as well, including infanticide, manslaughter, conspiracy and running a corrupt organization, NBCPhiladelphia.com reported.
The verdict was announced on the 10th day of deliberations, capping a two-month trial that featured grisly testimony about botched late-term abortions and became a flashpoint for both sides in the national abortion debate.
Gosnell was sentenced Tuesday for the deaths of two of the babies. He will be sentenced on the remaining charges, including the death of the third baby, on Wednesday.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/14/18255789-abortion-doctor-kermit-gosnell-spared-death-sentence?lite
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