According to the court documents, the father reportedly dropped the 2-year-old child, Phoebe, his daughter, from a bridge and she fell 62 feet to her death. When he appeared in court, the father wore his best. He had a button-down shirt and a striped tie. He hugged his attorneys and affirmed to the judge that he understood that his conviction came with an automatic life sentence. The father had no supports in the courtroom when the verdict was announced. Not one family member came to say anything. There weren’t even any people who spoke on behalf of Phoebe before the sentencing. Although his attorneys asked the judge to delay the sentencing for a week, the judge refused.
After the father killed his daughter, he played the insanity card. Luckily, the jury was not buying it. After just seven hours over the course of two days, the jury convicted John of first-degree murder after a trial that took only a month in court. The man, who wished very badly to be identified as clinically insane, had thrown his 2-year-old daughter off a bridge when the police confronted him. Although the defendant’s defense attorneys claimed that he was delusional and insane when he killed his little girl, the jury did not believe one word of that. They determined that the murder of the toddler was premeditated and prompted something else.
The lawyers claimed that they had more facts to check but could not provide an adequate reason when Judge Hellinger probed their request. That’s why he decided to go ahead and get John behind bars where he would not be able to hurt children ever again. “I am satisfied that justice was done,” said State Attorney McCabe. “My immediate reaction is killing children doesn’t make one a very sympathetic character.” Because the trial took a month, the judge thanked the jury for their sustained attention and effort. “There’s no way I can express my appreciation for your service. I’ve never had a trial this long, and I’ve been here about 12 years as a judge.” John had a long history of mental problems.
There was no dispute that he had murdered the baby. Prosecutors then proceeded to prove that her murder was premeditated. During the course of the trial, assistant state attorney Paul described how John was angry at Phoebe’s mother that she might take the girl away. He was also made at his mother for showing attention to the little girl when she had largely ignored him while he was growing up. “It was rage that drove him to it on top of that bridge,” Paul said. “Did he know what he was doing, and did he know it was wrong? The answer is clearly yes.” However, assistant public defender Jessica disagreed. She said that the defendant had delusions that Phoebe was possessed and that the archangel Michael would save her. When he threw her, Manuele said he thought he was protecting her. “It will never make sense because it’s insanity.”