Kermit Gosnell, the abortionist found guilty of murder, will not be executed. He agreed not to appeal his conviction in exchange for a life sentence.
From Doctor convicted of murder in abortion case gets life in prison – CNN.com:
A Philadelphia abortion provider found guilty of first-degree murder has agreed give up his right to appeal in exchange for avoiding a possible death sentence, Philadelphia’s district attorney’s office announced Tuesday.
Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, was convicted Monday on three counts of murder for killing babies by cutting their spinal cords with scissors.
The next step in the case was to have been the penalty phase, when jurors would have weighed whether to give Gosnell a death sentence.
The arrangement erases a need for that phase.
“Like any deal, there’s a give and take on each side. The Commonwealth (of Pennsylvania) took away the death penalty and Dr. Gosnell gave up his right to appeal,” said defense attorney Jack McMahon.“A big factor for Dr. Gosnell was his family. They’ve been conspicuously absent, and that’s been intentional because of the media focus and whatnot. He has some younger children in high school … and bringing them all forward for a penalty phase is something that troubled him.”
According to a statement from the office of Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, Gosnell “agreed to waive all of his appellate rights in exchange for life in prison without the possibility of parole instead of the death penalty.” He was “immediately sentenced” for the deaths of two babies.
