Nanny accused of killing two children declared fit for trial

NEW YORK -- A nanny accused of stabbing to death two children in her care was declared sane enough to stand trial Friday for the sensational crime, which stunned this city where thousands of parents consider their kids’ babysitters part of the family.

Yoselyn Ortega, 50, had her hands cuffed behind her back as she appeared in court to hear Judge Gregory Carro announce the findings of psychologists who have examined Ortega since the October slayings. No trial date was set.

Ortega is charged with murder in the deaths of 6-year-old Lucia Krim and 2-year-old Leo Krim in the apartment they lived in with their parents and a third sibling, 3-year-old Nessie. Police said the children’s mother, Marina Krim, found the bloodied bodies of Lucia and Leo on the bathroom floor of their home in an upscale building near Central Park after returning home with Nessie that afternoon. Ortega was lying beside the children with what police said were self-inflicted stab wounds to the neck.

Ortega, who was hospitalized for weeks after the killings, pleaded not guilty in November from her hospital bed. Local media have reported that despite an apparently close relationship with the Krim family, Ortega was struggling financially and had shown signs of extreme stress in the weeks before the slayings.

Ortega is from the Dominican Republic and had brought her teenage son to New York and wanted him to attend a good private school but could not afford it, according to DNAinfo.com, a New York news site. Relatives said Ortega had sought counseling for various problems but never had shown signs of violent behavior.

Marina Krim had regularly posted pictures of her children and updates about them in a sunny blog that she added to virtually every day. It included an account of a family holiday to Dominican Republic, where they had spent time with Ortega and her family.

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