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Parents honor children killed by nanny, thank jury following murder conviction

Kevin and Marina Krim issued a message of thanks and honored their children after their former nanny was convicted of murdering their young son and daughter.
/ Source: TODAY

A family who suffered the unimaginable when their young boy and girl were murdered by their nanny has issued a message of gratitude following a guilty verdict.

Kevin and Marina Krim expressed their thanks and honored their children in a Facebook post Wednesday night after a New York City jury convicted Yoselyn Ortega on two counts of murder of son Leo, 2, and daughter Lulu, 6, at the family's home six years ago.

Marina and Kevin Krim are expecting another child
Marina and Kevin Krim sent a message of gratitude after their former nanny was convicted of murdering two of their children. Heidi Green Photography / Lulu & Leo Fund Facebook

"Marina and I want to thank the judge and the jurors for their commitment to justice and their public service over this long and difficult trial,'' Kevin Krim wrote. "We are deeply indebted to the district attorney’s office and the NYPD for their care for our family, and their determination and dedication over the past five and a half years to see justice done.

"This process has been very challenging for us, but it has also reaffirmed our love of New York: a city that Lulu and Leo loved dearly. We got through this trial because of our family, our friends, our fellow New Yorkers and the loving memory of Lulu and Leo’s lives."

The two children were stabbed to death in October 2012 inside their Upper West Side apartment by Ortega, who then stabbed herself in the neck in front of Marina Krim after she returned home with the couple's 3-year-old daughter.

The Krims have since had two more children as they heal from their loss. They also launched the Lulu & Leo Fund, a nonprofit that raises money for children's education and enrichment programs.

"Marina and I believe that creativity is a positive act of defiance in the face of the destructive forces of violence and negativity,'' Kevin Krim wrote on Facebook. "We want to respond with constructive energy and hope you will too.

"Lulu and Leo inspired us to develop a curriculum called Choose Creativity, which is the mission of the fund that carries their name. We believe that the 10 Principles of Creativity can help children across this city and this country build the social-emotional skills and resilience to thrive no matter what the world throws at them."

The Krims especially thanked the jurors, who were tasked with deciding whether Ortega intentionally killed the children or was not in her right mind and suffering from psychosis when she did it.

"These jurors went through hell,'' Krim wrote in a separate Facebook post. "I hugged every one of them I could."

The Krims are also hoping the trial sends a message.

"Every child deserves a caregiver who is honest and responsible,'' he wrote. "And no one should think they can lie when it comes to the care and safety of our children."

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