What to Know
- Lulu and Leo Krim were discovered dead by their mother at the family's Upper West Side apartment in October 2012
- The family's nanny has pleaded not guilty to murder in the case, which is finally going to trial after five years
- The Krims encourage people to spread the word about the Lulu & Leo Fund, which supports creativity in schools and is their kids' "legacy"
The Upper West Side parents of two young children who prosecutors say were stabbed to death by their nanny in 2012 made an emotional plea on Facebook as the criminal case finally goes to trial.
“After five long years, the criminal trial in our case is getting started, and over the next few months the story of Lulu and Leo and our whole family will be painfully in the news again,” Kevin Krim says as he stands with his wife, Marina Krim, in a Facebook video posted Friday.
In October 2012, Marina Krim came home from a swimming lesson with their third child, Nessie, to find her 6-year-old daughter Lulu and 1-year-old son Leo dead in a bathtub.
The family’s nanny, Yoselyn Ortega, pleaded not guilty to murder. Ortega was hospitalized for weeks with stab wounds police said were self-inflicted after she allegedly killed the children. Ortega appeared in court for the first time in March 2013. She was deemed mentally fit for trial and jury selection is underway in the case.
“A lot of people have been asking us how they can help, how they can support us during this really horrible time,” Marina says in the video. “And we thought about it and we realized we’re going to handle this the way we’ve handled everything. We’re going to focus on the positive and the goodness that’s come out of all this.”
The Krims encouraged those looking to comfort them to spread the word about the Lulu & Leo Fund, which supports the family’s Choose Creativity initiative in schools. The couple have rarely spoken in public about the deaths, but announced the fund several years ago and said they were finding solace through art.
“This is the legacy of Lulu and Leo, and this is what matters,” Marina says.
Nessie, who was 4 years old when her brother and sister were killed, joined her parents in the video. Her younger brothers, Felix and Linus, also promoted the nonprofit by reading out the ten principles of creativity, which include curiosity and patience.
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“It was inspired by my sister and brother, Lulu and Leo,” Nessie says. “They loved being creative.”
Kevin Krim ends the video by saying that “in the face of destructive things like violence, anger and fear, creativity is a positive act of defiance.”
