ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Nearly five years after her twin boys were shot to death, it took a jury three hours to find Leslie Demeniuk guilty of two counts of first-degree murders.
After six days of expert testimony, the six-member jury rejected defense arguments that Demeniuk was insane, finding her guilty of killing her 4-year-old sons in her father's Sawgrass home in March 17, 2001.
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Demeniuk, 36, showed no reaction when the verdict was read, but the boy's father, Tommy Demeniuk, was to emotional to comment.
Demeniuk's lawyers also left the courtroom without commenting, but her stepfather was angered by the verdict.
"Our hands were tied in a big wad," said Eric Schoenig, Demeniuk's stepfather. said. "We could never talk about the SRIs (the anti-depressants Demeniuk was taking), how they might have affected our daughter. It's a shame; it really is a miscarriage of justice."
Even if Demeniuk's attorneys were able to introduce more evidence about pharmaceutical drugs and their effect on her mental state, some experts said it still may not have been enough to win an acquittal.
"It's hard to sell. Never the less, you do what you can do. There were some very good lawyers involved in this case and you wait for a verdict and you never know what's coming," said Criminal Defense Attorney Tom Cushman.
Demeniuk's attorneys did not dispute that she killed the boys. Instead, they claimed she was not guilty by reason of insanity, but were barred from introducing evidence that an interaction of prescription drugs may have resulted in her violent behavior.
Prosecutors said despite drug and alcohol use, Demeniuk knew what she was doing and should spend the rest of her life in prison.
During its closing arguments Monday, the prosecution retraced what occurred when Demeniuk shot and killed her children.
Prosecutor Noah McKinnon told the jury it was a brutal case of first-degree murder.
"It took time and the intent to kill was in her mind when she looked him in the face, put the gun to his forehead and pulled the trigger," McKinnon said.
The defense argued that alcohol mixed with antidepressants led to the shocking incident and that Demeniuk was delusional when she shot the boys.
However, McKinnon strongly disagreed. "All of the telephone calls, that day, were not psychotic. All of her actions, that day, were not psychotic," McKinnon said.
In his closing arguments defense attorney Bill Sheppard passionately disagreed with the prosecution, claiming that prescription drugs and alcohol mixed to cause Demeniuk to become temporarily insane.
"Why it happened was because Leslie Demeniuk did not know the difference between right and wrong at the precise moment that she pulled the trigger," Sheppard said. "The only explanation for these hideous actions is that she thought she was saving her children. She was taking them to a better place. It was because of a total delusion."
The jury began deliberations about 4:30 p.m. Monday They resumed deliberations just after 9 a.m. Tuesday, returning to the courtroom just over one hour later with the verdict: guilty as charged.
Channel 4's Dan Levington was able to speak with one of the jurors who told him they were absolutely exhausted from two weeks of testimony and jury selection. The juror said they actually asked to be recessed Monday night because they were overwhelmed and wanted to come back Tuesday morning to look more thoroughly at the evidence.
The juror also said one of the key points in determining the verdict was the blood alcohol level in Demeniuk's system on they day of the murders -- more than four times the legal limit.
There was no word Tuesday night whether or not Demeniuk would seek an appeal.
The judge said he would sentence her within 30 days. Demeniuk could face live in prison without parole.
Previous Stories:
- January 12, 2006: Medical Expert Says Mother Who Killed Her Sons Had Psychotic Episode
- January 10, 2006: Jury In Demeniuk Murder Trial Hears Grim Crime Scene Evidence
- January 6, 2006: Father Of Slain Twins First To Testify In Murder Trial For Ex-Wife
- January 5, 2006: Jury Selected In Trial For Mother Accused Of Shooting Twins
- January 4, 2006: Trial Begins Of Mother Accused Of Killing 4-Year-Old Twins
- April 26, 2002: Detective: Woman Killed Twins To Spite Ex-Husband
- March 21, 2001: Drugs, Alcohol Can Induce Violent Behavior, Doctors Say
- March 20, 2001: 911 Tapes: Boyfriend Finds Twins' Bodies, Panics
- March 19, 2001: Mother Charged With Killing Twin Sons
