Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — Exchanges between the defense attorney for a notorious abortionist and a medical examiner and prosecutor became heated yesterday over the decision to charge the abortionist with homicide in the death of a 41-year-old woman.
According to reports, argument broke out in the courtroom between defense attorney Jack McMahon, who represented abortionist Kermit Gosnell of Philadelphia, and medical examiner Dr. Gary Collins. Collins had originally ruled the death of Karnamaya Mongar, who died in 2009 of a drug overdose while obtaining an abortion from Gosnell, as an accident. However, after reviewing further information provided by the grand jury, Collins changed his mind and classified Mongar’s death as homocide.
McMahon began to debate with Collins as he took the stand about the toxicology reports and his decision to classify the incident as murder. Judge Jeffery Minehart spoke up as the argument escalated and told the men to calm down. At one point, a frustrated Collins jumped up, tore a piece of paper off a display that McMahon had created for the jury that provided a timeline of events, and began writing his own timeline of events. Minehart stopped Collins from proceeding, and the medical examiner then apologized.
Later, outside the courtroom, McMahon and prosecutor Joanne Pescatore began shouting at each other over the case. McMahon also became disgruntled with Judge Minehart as well, according to reports.
The trial will resume next week for the third of an estimated six-week trial.
As previously reported, abortionist Kermit Gosnell, 72, was taken into custody in 2011 following an investigation into his practice called the Women’s Medical Society. Investigators had not initially been aware that Gosnell was running a late-term abortion facility, but visited the location over suspicions about the illegal sale of controlled substances.
Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, who initially leveled the charges against the abortionist, described Gosnell’s operation two years ago as a “House of Horrors.”
“[Investigators] found jar after jar after jar of fetal remains and specifically severed feet in jars,” he explained in front of a panel following the compilation of the Grand Jury Report. “They found medical waste bags just strewn everywhere.”
Williams also outlined that several babies had been found with their spinal cords severed. It was believed that Gosnell birthed a number of babies alive, then “snipped” the back of their neck with scissors in order to kill them.
One of Gosnell’s employees, Adrienne Moton, testified against the abortionist last month, admitting that she had “snipped” the necks of ten children.
“I learned it from Dr. Gosnell,” she stated when asked by prosecutor Assistant District Attorney Edward Cameron where she came up with the idea. “I never asked why.”
Moton advised that one of the children that was aborted was approximately 30 weeks in gestation. She cried as she spoke of the child, a boy, whom she said Gosnell boasted was big enough to walk to the bus stop. As Moton had taken a photo of the baby with her cell phone, the photo was projected onto the screen for the jury.
Gosnell now faces seven counts of first-degree murder — the most severe charge, which signifies that the acts were premeditated — for the deaths of babies who were believed to have died in this manner. He is also facing one count of third-degree murder for the aforementioned death of Karnamaya Mongar. Approximately 20 other charges have been leveled against the abortionist.
Gosnell could receive the death penalty for his crimes if convicted.