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A Florida jury on Tuesday declared a man guilty of first-degree murder for leaving his 5-year-old daughter to a bridge four years ago, despite the arguments of his lawyers that he was insane and thought that his actions would really save her. He was automatically sentenced to life imprisonment.
The jurors in Clearwater, Florida, deliberated for about seven hours over two days before convicting John Jonchuck, whom the prosecutors presented as an avenging man who was planning to kill his daughter to keep her away from her mother and her son. grandmother.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that no one from Jonchuck's family was in the courtroom when the verdict was announced. And no friend or family member spoke on behalf of Phoebe or her father before the sentencing. Jonchuck, who was stoic when the verdict was read, hugged his attorneys and said, "Yes, your honor," when asked when he understood that the verdict would automatically result in a conviction. life. He then took his fingerprints and made out of the court room by bailiffs.
Jonchuck's lawyers had asked the judge to delay the sentencing for a week because they had problems to check. But when they failed to provide a reason, Judge Chris Helinger proceeded to sentencing.
"I am convinced that justice has been done," said Pinellas-Pasco prosecutor Bernie McCabe, quoted by the newspaper. "My immediate reaction is to kill children does not make someone a very likeable person."
The judge thanked the jurors for their attention during the trial which lasted a month. "It is impossible for me to express my appreciation for your service," she said. "I've never had a trial that long and it's been around 12 years since I was a judge."
Nobody disputed the fact that Jonchuck, now 29, dropped his daughter Phoebe 18 meters in Tampa Bay in January 2015 and that he has a long history mental problems.
But prosecutors said his action was premeditated. Deputy Attorney General Paul Bolan told the jurors that Jonchuck was worried about his mother's anger, which feared that Phoebe's mother would take the girl away from her and pay attention only to her own mother. bore to her granddaughter when she had been unresponsive to her growth.
"It's the rage that has led to the top of this bridge," said Bolan. "Did he know what he was doing, and did he know it was wrong? The answer is clearly yes."
However, the defendant assistant, Jessica Manuele, told the jurors that Jonchuck loved Phoebe more than anything in the world and that there was no evidence that he acted by "anger." unbridled ".
His illusions led him to believe that Phoebe was possessed and that the archangel Michael was about to arrive, said Manuele. He poured salt out the window to keep the spirits away, she said.
By the time he threw her off the bridge, "he was thinking of protecting his daughter," Manuele said. "It'll never make sense because it's crazy."
Twelve hours before Phoebe's death, Geneviève Torres, Jonchuck's divorce lawyer, called a hotline for child protection, fearing for her daughter's safety, authorities 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 had become obsessed with. Jonchuck was also paranoid that Phoebe was not his child, Torres said.
But the operator thought 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, officials said.
As they reached the crest of the bridge, Jonchuck stopped and went out. Vickers, fearing an ambush, stopped behind him, took out his gun and shouted at Jonchuck to show his hands. He saw no weapon.
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 climbed a ladder to a dock below the bridge but could not see Phoebe in the dark water. A maritime rescue boat was summoned and her body was found hours later.
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