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Gosnell Jurors Speak Out About Gruesome Abortion, Murder Case: 'Somewhere, Something Went Wrong' (Plus: He Gets Another Life Sentence)

PHILADELPHIA (TheBlaze/AP) -- A Philadelphia abortion doctor was sentenced Wednesday to a third life term for killing an aborted baby that he described as so big it could "walk to the bus." Jurors who convicted Dr. Kermit Gosnell of murder also spoke out for the first time, saying he perhaps started out with good intentions, but got greedy and lost his way.

Three jurors commented Wednesday after Kermit Gosnell was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences in the deaths of babies born alive and then killed at his rogue abortion clinic. Juror Sarah Glinski is a 23-year-old government public affairs specialist. She says "somewhere, something went wrong" with Gosnell.

The jurors expressed empathy for Gosnell's untrained staff members, eight of whom pleaded guilty in the case.

Assistant District Attorney Ed Cameron, accompanied by Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore speaks to members of the media, Wednesday, May 15, 2013, in Philadelphia. Dr. Kermit Gosnell was convicted this week of first-degree murder in the deaths of three babies born alive, then stabbed with scissors. He was given two life sentences Tuesday in a deal with prosecutors that spares him a potential death sentence, and the third sentence was handed down Wednesday. Credit: AP

Gosnell's lawyer concedes that his client performed illegal third-term abortions for women who begged for help but says he never intended to kill babies born alive. Prosecutor Joanne Pescatore says the victim known as Baby A, which was nearly 30 weeks, will stay with her "forever."

As TheBlaze reported earlier this week, Dr. Kermit Gosnell was convicted this week of first-degree murder in the deaths of three babies born alive at his rogue clinic, then stabbed with scissors. He was given two life sentences Tuesday in a deal with prosecutors that spared him a potential death sentence, and the third sentence was handed down Wednesday.

The sentences offer no chance at parole, meaning Gosnell, 72, will spend the rest of his life in prison. The case has made Gosnell a flashpoint in the nation's bitter debate over legalized abortion.

Prosecutors argued that Gosnell savagely killed late-term babies born alive by severing their spines, and taught several staff members the technique. Nine former clinic workers were convicted in the case, and four others pleaded guilty to murder.

Despite the notoriety of the case, Gosnell has seemed oddly serene in court during the two-month trial, and apparently sees himself as a medical pioneer and tireless advocate for inner-city patients.

"I wanted to be an effective, positive force in the minority community," Gosnell told The Philadelphia Daily News in a 2010 interview, when he predicted he would be "vindicated" of the allegations in a harrowing grand jury report. He chose not to address the judge during Wednesday's sentencing.

But prosecutors said he grew increasingly reckless as he accumulated millions of dollars from his rogue clinic, which was described as a "pill mill" for addicts by day and an "abortion mill" by night.

Jurors from left, Joseph Carroll, Sarah Glinski, and David Misko speak to members of the media outside the criminal justice center, Wednesday, May 15, 2013, in Philadelphia. Dr. Kermit Gosnell was convicted this week of first-degree murder in the deaths of three babies born alive, then stabbed with scissors. He was given two life sentences Tuesday in a deal with prosecutors that spares him a potential death sentence, and the third sentence was handed down Wednesday. Credit: AP

The jury spent 10 days deliberating before finding that Gosnell had killed babies or had them killed. And the jury found him complicit in the death of the 41-year-old patient, a Virginia woman who was repeatedly sedated by his untrained medical assistants. He was also sentenced Wednesday to 2 1/2 to five years in her death.

Gosnell was also convicted of hundreds of abortion law violations for performing illegal, third-term abortions or failing to counsel women and teens. Gosnell was acquitted in the deaths of four other infants.

Prosecutors have declined to comment on the verdict, citing a gag order that was expected to be lifted Wednesday when Gosnell's sentence is finalized.

Prosecutors had planned to seek the death penalty because Gosnell killed more than one person and his victims were especially vulnerable given their age. But Gosnell's own advanced age had made it unlikely he would ever be executed before his appeals ran out.

Gosnell's lawyer, Jack McMahon, said his client accepts the verdict and isn't sorry he went to trial. He said Gosnell gave up a somewhat better deal early on but wanted to air the issues in court and is satisfied that he did so.

"He wanted this case aired out in a courtroom and it got aired out in a courtroom in a fair way. And now he's accepting what will happen. He's an intelligent guy," said McMahon, who said Gosnell would now plead to federal drug charges that are still pending.

The sentencing deal, reached after hours of terse negotiations Tuesday, spares Gosnell's family the task of pleading for his life in court, McMahon said. Gosnell has six children, the youngest of them a teenager born to his third wife, who has also pleaded guilty in the case.

"He's a proud man. To bring his young family into court was something he did not want to do," McMahon said.

A 2011 grand jury investigation into Gosnell's alleged prescription drug trafficking led to the gruesome findings about his abortion clinic. During an FBI raid, authorities found 47 aborted fetuses stored in clinic freezers, jars of tiny severed feet, bloodstained furniture and dirty medical instruments, along with cats roaming the premises.

Kermit Gosnell's defense lawyer Jack McMahon walks to speaks to members of the media outside the criminal justice center, Wednesday, May 15, 2013, in Philadelphia. Dr. Kermit Gosnell was convicted this week of first-degree murder in the deaths of three babies born alive, then stabbed with scissors. He was given two life sentences Tuesday in a deal with prosecutors that spares him a potential death sentence, and the third sentence was handed down Wednesday. Credit: AP

McMahon has argued that none of the fetuses was born alive and that any movements were posthumous twitching or spasms.

For more information about the victims, read our previous coverage.

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