Gruesome hospital photos have emerged of the nanny accused of murdering two children in her care then slashing her own throat.
Yoselyn Ortega, 55, is on trial for stabbing siblings Lucia and Leo Krim, ages six and two, to death in October 2012.
Their mother came home and found them stabbed to death in a bathtub of their Upper West Side apartment.
The Dominican nanny stabbed herself in the neck just as the children’s mother was coming in the door but she survived her injuries.
On Friday, the court saw photos of Ortega’s injuries as she lay recovering in hospital. The worst, was a severe cut across her neck, where a chunk of skin appeared to be missing.
Gruesome hospital photos have emerged of the nanny accused of murder two two children in her care then slashing her own throat (pictured)
Yoselyn Ortega, 55, is on trial for stabbing siblings Lucia and Leo Krim, ages six and two, to death in October 2012, then stabbing herself in the throat. She is pictured in hospital immediately after the stabbing
The grisly photos show the serious damage she suffered when she sliced her own neck in 2012
Other photos showed Ortega on a breathing tube, and on an IV, as she lay in her hospital bed.
Ortega has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and has mostly been sitting emotionless in court.
Her son Jesus Frias, 22, has since claimed in court that his mother stabbed the two children by ‘accident’.
Frias appeared in Manhattan criminal court yesterday to testify in the murder trial of his mother.
At one point, Frias referred to the Krims’ deaths as an ‘accident’ and quickly corrected himself to say ‘before what happened’.
Yoselyn Ortega (pictured on March 2) has pleaded not guilty to the double murders by reason of insanity
Photos of her injuries were show in a Manhattan court today, where her murder trial is underway
One photo showed Ortega on a breathing tube, and on an IV, as she lay in her hospital bed
Ortega survived her self-inflicted injuries but the two kids in her care did not
Photos of two bloodied knives were shown to jurors in court last week
But the prosecutor interjected, saying: ‘I”m sorry – did you just say, “the accident?”‘
‘Unfortunately, two children died,’ Frias added.
The children’s father, Kevin Krim, watched Frias testify on Thursday – the father’s third day in court. His wife Marina did not attend.
The nanny, originally from the Dominican Republic, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
The friends and relatives who have previously testified have told the court how she seemed to be plagued by demons in the time leading up to the murders.
But Frias said he didn’t really see that side of his mother.
He said she went through a protracted ‘sadness’ and seemed to be depressed the day of the murders. But she kissed him goodbye and sent him to school just like she did every day.
Ortega is on trial for the October 2012 murders of Lucia (right) and Leo Krim (left), ages six and two, two siblings who she babysat
Ortega worked part time for the Krim family, aiding stay-at-home mom Marina Krim (right) with the couple’s then-three kids – Lucia, Leo and Nessie. After Lucia and Leo’s murders, the couple went on to have tow more boys
Frias doesn’t remember his mother complaining about a ‘black man’ who was trying to ‘separate the families’ as others have recalled.
On the night of the murders, Frias did recall receiving a mysterious call from his mom’s number.
When he answered, he said he heard a man’s voice, in a thick accent, say ‘I need help’ before promptly hanging up.
Earlier in the trial, the court was told how Ortega left her phone at home that day. the phone was never recovered, but the line was mysteriously disconnected soon after the deadly incident.
Frias says his mother ‘loved’ the Krim children, and they seemed to love her back.
Ortega worked part time as the children’s nanny, aiding their mother who was a stay-at-home mom.
‘Whenever the Krims were doing something, my mom would take care of (the kids),’ Frias said. ‘They seemed like they loved my mom. She loved them back.’
Frias says Lucia would make drawings for his mother, and that his mom would put Lucia on the phone with him to practice her Spanish.
Marina Krim has not attended court, other than to testify. Her husband has spent the last three days in court however. Kevin Krim is pictured above outside court on Tuesday
Frias met the kids when they visited the Dominican Republic and spent some times with his relatives.
He said it was a ‘lovely scene’.
Frias described his mother as protective.
When he was a kid living in the Dominican Republic, he says his mother would hide him under the bed anytime she heard the dog bark – afraid that thieves were about to break in.
And when he moved to New York, he says she would follow him out at night when he played basketball to keep an eye on him.
During his testimony, Ortega tried to make eye contact with her son but he avoided her gaze.