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The Florida man who dropped his girl on a bridge in Tampa Bay more than four years ago was found guilty of first degree murder on Tuesday.
John Jonchuck was sentenced to life in prison the same day he was convicted of murdering his five-year-old daughter Phoebe, despite her lawyers' pleas to delay the conviction.
Prosecutors claimed that his actions in January 2015 had been premeditated, while his defense team had stated that he was not in his mind, citing a long history of mental problems.
John Jonchuck was convicted and sentenced for the murder of his daughter, Phoebe.
(AP, File)
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Her public defender, Jessica Manuele, told the jurors that Jonchuck's jurors loved Phoebe more than anything in the world and that he had no evidence that he had acted "in anger without restraint".
She also claimed that her illusions led her to believe that Phoebe was possessed and that by throwing her over the bridge into the bay, he "protected" her from the spirits that were trying to reach her.
The prosecution painted a very different picture of Jonchuck, motivated by anger to kill the toddler, for fear that his mother would kidnap him, and out of jealousy that his own mother, who did he says, the inattentive guardian in his childhood. , adored by his little girl.
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Twelve hours before Phoebe's death, Jonchuck's divorce lawyer, Genevieve Torres, called a child protection hotline for the safety of her daughter, investigators said.
Torres told the Child and Family Department operator that Jonchuck had gone to three churches in pajamas with Phoebe that morning, which he had called Torres "God" and had him asked to translate the Swedish Centennial Bible of his mother-in-law, which he wore and on which he obsessed. Jonchuck was also paranoid that Phoebe was not his child, Torres said.
However, the operator felt that the lawyer was more worried about Jonchuck's safety than that of the girl and did not report the call to the authorities, they said.
Just past midnight the next day, Jonchuck's PT Cruiser overtook officer William Vickers, who was returning home after a day of work in his patrol car. He started following Jonchuck but never got close enough to read the license plate and did not know that Phoebe was inside, investigators said.
As they reached the crest of the bridge, Jonchuck stopped and went out. Vickers, fearing an ambush, said he had stopped behind him, unsheathed his gun and shouted at Jonchuck to show his hands. He saw no weapon.
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Jonchuck shouted at the officer, "You have no free will." He grabbed Phoebe from the back seat, momentarily holding her to the side, and then released her, according to police testimony.
Jonchuck left, but was quickly arrested. Vickers said he had climbed a ladder up to a pontoon located under the bridge, but could not see Phoebe in the dark water. A sea rescue boat finally arrived and her body was found hours later.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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