Montgomery County Man Found Guilty In Murder Of Baby, Her Grandmother
By Brad Segall
NORRISTOWN, Pa., (CBS) -- A Montgomery County jury has found an Upper Merion man guilty of all charges including two counts of first degree murder for killing a ten-month-old girl and her grandmother during a botched kidnapping attempt nearly two years ago.
Raghu Yandamuri sat at the defense table and showed no emotion as the verdicts were read in court, guilty of two counts of first degree murder for the deaths of Saanvi Venna and her grandmother in their King of Prussia apartment.
The same jury will now decide whether the 28-year-old man will get the death penalty or life behind bars. Attorney Henry Hilles, who will represent him during the penalty phase, says his client was stunned.
"He thought that he was going to have a different verdict, whether or not that seems plausible to court observers is debatable," Hilles said.
Prosecutor Kevin Steele says this is the first step to bringing some closure to the Venna family.
"Justice was done today. This is a case that we've said from the beginning had a mountain of evidence," Steele said.
Hilles will now present testimony in an attempt to save Yandamuri's life. The first witness, his mother, who has been here from India for the duration.
Yandamuri represented himself during the trial, which his standby attorney Steve Heckman called a mistake after the verdicts came down.
Must Read Today's Top Stories