For nearly three years, Philadelphia Police crime scene investigator John Taggart has remained silent about what he saw after stepping inside Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s two homes and West Philadelphia clinic -- nicknamed the “House of Horrors.”

Now that the former Philadelphia abortion doctor has been sentenced to life in prison and the case's gag order lifted, Taggart is speaking out about what he found.

Taggart and his team began searching Gosnell’s properties for fetal remains in February 2010 following an FBI raid of the doctor’s West Philadelphia clinic, the Women’s Medical Society.

Inside Gosnell’s West Philadelphia home, the doctor spared no expense on high-end appliances, large flat-screen TVs and a piano, but Taggart says the 72-year-old surrounded himself with filth.

“He just lived in squalor,” said Taggart. “He would leave plates of food on the floor. There was stuff everywhere in the bedroom. You couldn’t see the bed.”

Gosnell sat at the piano and played Chopin as police donned bio-hazard suits to investigate the contents of his home’s basement.

“As soon as they went down into the basement, they were covered in fleas,” Taggart said. “He actually gave us a bottle of flea repellent and said, ‘See what a nice guy I am? I told you there were fleas in the basement.’ He said ‘I didn’t have to tell ya’s’”

Investigators also visited Gosnell’s shore home in Brigantine, N.J. Taggart says the home was not well-kept, but that the property was “beautiful.”

“It backed up to the bay, he had a beautiful like four-slip boat slip,” he said.

The Philadelphia Police Crime Scene Unit traveled down the Atlantic City Expressway to search for the remains of unaccounted fetuses.

“We went down there because we thought maybe some of the babies were thrown into the bay,” he said. “There’s a lot of babies that are still unaccounted for that we don’t know where they’re at.”

The team ventured into the bay and pulled up several crab traps owned by Gosnell to see if there were remains inside. However, nothing was found. New Jersey authorities also sent a dive team into the bay before Taggart’s search and were unable to locate any remains.

“I believe they are either buried out there or I don’t know where they are. We’ve looked, we’ve looked for three years,” he said.

Taggart also recounted his time inside the Women’s Medical Society, calling the clinic, located at 3801 Lancaster Avenue, unforgettable.

“The smells were just unbearable,” he said. “You could tell there was death somewhere.”

Taggart found dead babies stuffed inside a refrigerator. But it’s what he and other officials found as they searched room-by -room that he says will be forever burned into his memory.

“Opening up the cabinet and seeing all the feet,” he said. “I’ll remember that for a long time.”

Those feet were severed from babies following abortion procedures. Prosecutors say Gosnell would deliver some babies alive, despite giving them medication in utero meant to stop their heart. The doctor and his staff would then snip their necks with scissors to ensure death.

Investigators said baby body parts would clog toilets after women delivered them in stalls inside the clinic. But for the first time, Taggart describes how remains were uncovered in the break room sink.

“They were shoving body parts down the garbage disposal,” said Taggart. “To the point where they plunged it one day and an arm popped out on Lancaster Avenue.”

The clinic, though not opened, still stands today.

Gosnell, who was found guilty Monday of first-degree murder in the deaths of three babies, was given two consecutive life sentences in two of those verdicts. He struck a deal to avoid the death penalty by giving up his right to an appeal.

On Wednesday, Gosnell was sentenced to a third consecutive life sentence for the murder of the third baby. He also was given an additional two and a half to five consecutive years in the involuntary manslaughter death of former patient Karnamaya Mongar. The attorney for Mongar's family says they plan on suing both Gosnell and the City of Philadelphia.

Gosnell was also sentenced to concurrent sentences for 229 violations of Pennsylvania abortion regulations, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office.

The former doctor will plead guilty to federal charges related to illegal narcotics distribution. He's expected to be sentenced for those crimes next week.

For extensive coverage of the "House of Horrors" Abortion Doctor Trial, click here to visit our dedicated section on the case.

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On the same day Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell was sentenced to three life terms for murdering babies during late-term abortion procedures, the jurors who found him guilty of the crimes opened up about the case and how they decided the verdict.

Three of 12 jurors spoke to a throng of reporters outside the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center Wednesday.

David Misko, juror No. 5 and the foreman, described the case as emotional, but said the jury did their best.

"It wasn’t easy, but we did the best with all of the information we got," he said. “Once we figured out what happened it was easy to determine between first and third-degree murder."

Juror No. 6, Sarah Glinski, says the fact that she is not a mother, helped her decide the case.

"It was almost easier for me to detach myself emotionally and look strictly at the evidence because of that," she said.

The 23-year-old Department of Defense employee admitted the reality of the graphic imagery and descriptions shared in court were difficult to handle.

“Seeing those photos and having to say to myself ‘This happened to those kids. There were children that died at the hands of this man.’ That was hard for me to admit that this kind of evil exists in this world,” Glinski said.

Jurors felt it was easy to see premeditation on Gosnell's part, according to Misko.

"It was just business as usual and he slipped the necks no matter what happened,” he said.

Speaking about Gosnell's demeanor in court, Misko, 27, said it was difficult to measure the doctor's personality.

“He gave me nothing to give him an impression on, he just sat there for the past eight weeks smirking,” the juror said.

Of the smirk many described seeing, Misko said he "didn't care for it.”

"The guy fights for his life and he sits back and smirks. It doesn't rub you the right way."

However, the jurors said they believed Gosnell, at one time, tried to help women who couldn't afford proper care, before something went wrong.

"I think somewhere, something went wrong in his mind perhaps that made him do these things to these children that were born alive," Glinski said.

“He started out as a good practice doctor, but eventually just became a money-generating machine,” added juror No. 4 Joseph Carroll.

Carroll, 46, says the group also questioned how much blame should be levied against the mothers who chose to undergo the late-term abortions.

“Women know when they’re pregnant and if they didn’t know after 25 weeks they were pregnant…they should have taken appropriate action before that,” he said.

The trio's admissions come on the same day Gosnell was given a third life sentence for the murder of the baby and other crimes he had not been previously sentenced for.

"This case is over," Gosnell's attorney Jack McMahon said outside court Wednesday. "He's 72-years-old and he has resigned and accepted his fate."

McMahon said Gosnell does not have remorse because he still believes he did not commit murder, but respects the jury's decision.

“Dr. Gosnell, he believes that what he did was not commit homicide," McMahon said. "He believes he never killed a live baby."

"Nobody gave him a second chance," the veteran attorney said of Gosnell.

On Tuesday, Gosnell struck a deal with the Philadelphia District Attorney to avoid the death penalty by giving up his right to appeal.

Gosnell, who was found guilty Monday of first-degree murder in the deaths of three babies, was given two consecutive life sentences in two of those verdicts.

The 72-year-old was sentenced Wednesday to a third consecutive life sentence for the murder of the third baby. He also was given an additional two and a half to five consecutive years in the involuntary manslaughter death of former patient Karnamaya Mongar. The attorney for Mongar's family say they plan on suing both Gosnell and the city.

Gosnell was also sentenced to concurrent sentences for 229 violations of Pennsylvania abortion regulations, according to the District Attorney's Office. Gosnell will also plead guilty to federal charges of running a pill mill, which started the probe into his abortion clinic. Gosnell's wife, Pearl, has not yet been sentenced.

Galinksi says she's relieved she did not have to decide whether Gosnell lives or dies.

“Today marks the end of a long, sad chapter in Philadelphia’s history," Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said at a press conference. “I’ve seen a lot of senseless violence and cruel acts during my short tenure as the Philadelphia District Attorney. This case is arguably the most gruesome, the most vile.”

Williams thanked the hard work of the prosecution, police and jury as he explained how

“Kermit Gosnell will never kill another baby. He will never kill another woman seeking his medical assistance," Williams said.

"Employees will never have to clear sewage pipes clogged with mangled bodies and squirming, crying, breathing babies will never have their spines severed by his scissors."

Before the sentencing began, Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Minehart, prosecutors and the defense went behind closed doors to thank the jury for their service in the emotional and hot button case.

A gag order was in effect in the case since it went to trial two months ago.

Gosnell's deal surprised many who expected the convicted murder to sentenced next Tuesday during official penalty proceedings.

"Like any deal there's a give and take on any side," Gosnell's attorney Jack McMahon said following the deal's announcement Tuesday.

McMahon believes his client chose the deal to avoid having his family part of penalty proceedings.

"They've been conspicuously absent and that has been intentional because of the media focus," McMahon said. "Bringing them all forward for a penalty phase troubled him and therefor I think this was a deal that worked out for both sides."

Gosnell has six children including a son in college and another child in high school.

The former abortion doctor's sentencing draws the end to the case closer -- after stretching on for years.

Gosnell's clinic was dubbed a “house of horrors” by Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams in a 2011 grand jury report after investigators uncovered macabre and deplorable conditions inside.

Prosecutors say Gosnell delivered four babies alive during abortion procedures and then killed them by snipping their spinal cords with scissors. He was acquitted in the death of the fourth baby.

Mongar, 41, died after she was given a lethal dose of pain killers and anesthesia during a 2009 abortion procedure at the clinic. Gosnell was charged with third-degree murder in her death, but the jury delivered a lesser verdict of involuntary manslaughter.

Gosnell was also accused of regularly violating Pennsylvania's abortion laws — including performing late-term abortions. In Pennsylvania, it is illegal to perform abortions on fetuses after they reach 24 weeks.

McMahon said before the sentencing deal that his client's bid for acquittal was a battle.

"The media has been overwhelmingly against him," McMahon said. "But I think the jury listened to the evidence ... and they found what they found."

Prosecutors Joanne Pescatore and Ed Cameron were pursuing the death penalty in the case because of the multiple murders. They also felt Gosnell had taken advantage of his victims.

At 72 years old, Gosnell may have died in prison appealing a death sentence before even being able to be executed.

After the criminal case is done, Gosnell will then prepare to be tried in federal court on allegations he was running an illegal narcotics operation out of his clinic. That trial is set to begin in September.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

The wife of former Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell and some of his staff will finally learn how long they’ll spend behind bars for their role in the “House of Horrors” later this month.

Pearl Gosnell, 52, pled guilty in December 2011 to four crimes including criminal conspiracy, corrupt organization and performing illegal abortions.

Sentencing has been on hold as a Philadelphia jury weighed murder charges against the former doctor. On Tuesday afternoon, in a deal with prosecutors, Gosnell waived his right to appeal in return for two consecutive life sentences, he had been facing the death penalty. Court officials have set a sentencing date of May 29 for the remaining charges.

Several of Pearl Gosnell’s co-workers from the Women’s Medical Society, Kermit Gosnell’s West Philadelphia clinic, will also be sentenced on the same day.

Sherry West, 56, Adrienne Moton, 35, Steven Massof, 51, and Lynda Williams, 45, all pled guilty in late 2011 to third-degree murder for their roles in either snipping babies necks during late-term abortion procedures or the overdose death of former clinic patient Karnamaya Mongar.

The foursome, along with fellow employee Tina Baldwin, 48, also pled guilty to conspiracy and corrupt organization charges.

On Monday, Kermit Gosnell was found guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of three babies. He was also found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in Mongar’s death and of more than 200 counts of abortion law violations.

The 72-year-old owner of the Women’s Medical Society, the West Philadelphia clinic where the crimes happened, will be sentenced for his crimes on Tuesday. The clinic was dubbed a “House of Horrors” by Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams in a 2011 grand jury report after investigators uncovered macabre and deplorable conditions inside.

Many of the former employees testified in Kermit Gosnell’s capital murder trial. Prosecutors are expected to take their cooperation into account when recommending sentencing at the upcoming proceedings.

Pearl Gosnell did not testify against her husband.

One Women’s Medical Society employee that will not be sentenced along with her co-workers will be Eileen O’Neill. The 56-year-old served as a co-defendant in Kermit Gosnell’s trial. She was found guilty of conspiracy, conspiracy to commit corrupt organization and two counts of theft by deception.

O’Neill will be sentenced alongside Kermit Gosnell next Tuesday.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

Former Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell was convicted of first-degree murder in the deaths of three babies authorities said were born alive before having their necks cut with scissors. A jury found Gosnell not guilty of first-degree murder in a fourth baby’s death.

In addition to the murder charges, the 72-year-old was found guilty Monday of involuntary manslaughter in the overdose death of former patient Karnamaya Mongar.

Gosnell was also found guilty of several other crimes including one count of infanticide, two counts of conspiracy, 21 of 24 counts of abortion of an unborn child of 24 weeks or more and 208 of 227 counts of violation of informed consent of an abortion.

In all, Gosnell was found guilty of 237 crimes. He will now face the death penalty in the sentencing phase, which will begin a week from Tuesday.

"Obviously, the jury has spoken," said Jack McMahon, Gosnell's attorney, following the proceedings.

"As I said to the jury as I closed to them, whatever verdict they gave I would respect and would be the right verdict."

McMahon said he did not regret not putting Gosnell on the stand during the proceedings and says he hadn't decided whether Gosnell will take the stand during the penalty phase. He also commended the prosecution. The veteran attorney not able to say much more as a gag order remains in place until the penalty phase is completed.

According to court observers, as the verdict was read by the jury foreman, Gosnell didn't react at first. However, once the full charges had been announced, he shook his head from side-to-side, trying to make eye contact with members of the jury.

Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore cried as she hugged a member of the Philadelphia Police Crime Scene Unit following the verdict. She and fellow ADA Ed Cameron did not speak as they left the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center in Center City Philadelphia.

The jury of seven women and five men weighed a total of 263 crimes against Gosnell with the most serious being four counts of first-degree murder.

The courtroom was locked down and reporters told to turn off all electronic devices when the jury foreman, juror number 5, read the verdict aloud.

Earlier in the day, the jury had told the court they were deadlocked on two counts. It is unclear on which charges the jury was deadlocked, however the group told the court it had reached a consensus on all other counts.

At approximately 10 a.m. Monday, the jury passed a note to Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey P. Minehart explaining their situation. The admission came on the 10th day of deliberations.

Full Coverage: "House of Horrors" Abortion Doctor Trial

By law, according to attorneys for both sides, Judge Minehart was required to re-instruct the jury to deliberate on the two charges a second time and attempt to reach a verdict.

Judge Minehart brought the jury into the courtroom on the third-floor of the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center around 11:15 a.m.

Over a five minute meeting, he reminded the jury they must be unanimous on all counts and asked the group to return to the jury room and discuss the charges further. The group was grim-faced as they were led from the court.

Judge Minehart called the jury sincere, considerate and serious. The judge also said he wanted to make sure the group was not confused over the charges.

Gosnell, a resident of West Philadelphia, was charged on January 14, 2011 with 263 crimes, including first-degree murder in the deaths of four babies. Prosecutors allege Gosnell delivered the babies alive during abortion procedures and then killed them by snipping their spinal cords with scissors.

Gosnell was also charged with third-degree murder in the of former patient Karnamaya Mongar.

Mongar, 41, died after she was given a lethal dose of pain killers and anesthesia during a 2009 abortion procedure at Gosnell's West Philadelphia clinic, the Women's Medical Society.

The former doctor's defense attorney has argued Gosnell would inject a drug into his patients' uterus to stop the fetuses' hearts before they were delivered.

The majority of the 263 charges levied against Gosnell are related to alleged Pennsylvania abortion-law violations. Prosecutors say Gosnell regularly performed late-term abortions on babies older than 24 weeks -- the cutoff age in Pennsylvania.

The jury also ruled in the case of  Gosnell's co-defendant Eileen O'Neill -- finding her guilty of conspiracy, conspiracy to commit corrupt organization and two counts of theft by deception. She was found not guilty of five additional counts.

Prosecutors said O'Neill deceived patients and insurance companies by pretending to be a licensed physician and billing for those services.

Her defense said while O'Neill was not licensed, she did have a medical degree and would always have Gosnell sign off on her recommendations and prescriptions. O'Neill's attorney also said there is no evidence of the 56-year-old charging for her services.

O'Neill covered her face as she left court. As reporters peppered her with questions, O'Neill only said she was under the gag order. She is currently on house arrest.

THE DISCOVERY OF A "HOUSE OF HORRORS" AND TRIAL

The alleged crimes came to light on February 10, 2010 after investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Agency raided the inner-city clinic at 3801 Lancaster Avenue following a tip that a prescription pill mill was operating inside.

Agents were met, not with an illegal narcotics drug operation, but rather, unsanitary conditions. Investigators testified they found blood-stained rooms, filthy and old equipment and untrained staff. Aborted fetuses were stored in a basement freezer in plastic food containers and bags next to employee lunches. Severed feet from aborted babies were found preserved in jars around the clinic.

The conditions found inside the clinic led Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams to call the clinic a "house of horrors" in a 2011 grand jury report.

Over the course of the trial which started on March 18 and lasted two months, former clinic employees testified against Gosnell.

Adrienne Moton was first to testify. Moton, 35, recalled several abortion procedures in court including one where the mother delivered the baby into a toilet.

The 35-year-old described how the baby seemed to struggle in the bowl before she snipped its neck with scissors. She admitted to cutting 10 babies' necks, calling the snipping  "common practice" at the clinic.

Moton also took a picture of one of the babies Gosnell is accused of murdering. Referred in court as Baby A, Moton says the boy was nearly 30 weeks old when he was aborted.

She claims Gosnell even joked about the baby’s size saying he was so big the baby could have walked to the bus stop. The graphic photo, was among others, shown to the jury.

Lynda Williams testified how she would administer pain killers and anesthesia acting as the clinic's anesthesiologist. The 44-year-old had no formal training and only an 8th grade education.

Williams was the person who delivered four doses of drugs to Mongar during her procedure. She described how the woman's skin turned gray and her breathing slowed following the last dose.

She also admitted to snipping the neck of one of the babies Gosnell is charged with murdering, referred to in court as Baby C.

Both women pled guilty to third-degree murder in exchange for their testimony against Gosnell. They face 60-120 years in prison.

Other workers described babies being born alive, watching them breath and seeing their limbs move before being "snipped." Some described the babies as "aliens" who made odd noises, others said it would "rain fetuses" in the clinic.

Kareema Cross was last to testify. The 28-year-old used a fake name when she alerted the DEA to conditions inside the Women's Medical Society. She took a series of photos of her working environment, eventually turning them over to authorities.

Several medical experts also took the stand during the trial. Among them, Philadelphia's Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Sam Gulino.

Dr. Gulino testified he examined 47 fetuses and while three had the possibility of viability, he could not say for certain if any were born alive.

Prosecutors Joanne Pescatore and Ed Cameron spent five weeks presenting their case calling 36 witnesses. In contrast, Gosnell's attorney Jack McMahon only spent one day and called none.

McMahon did not call any witnesses when it was time for the defense. The bullish attorney instead stood up and rested his case. He did, however, spend hours reliving testimony in the trial during his closing arguments -- trying to use the prosecution's case to create doubt.

The 60-year-old attorney maintained babies were never delivered alive. He says Gosnell would inject the drug Digoxin into the womb to stop the fetus' heart. Labor would then be induced and the dead baby delivered, he said.

McMahon was previously successful in getting Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey P. Minehart to throw out several charges, including three counts of first-degree murder for a lack of evidence.

THE TALE OF TWO DOCTORS

Both sides painted very different pictures of the former doctor. The prosecution claimed Gosnell took advantage of poor, vulnerable, desperate women all while making millions. They claimed he also preyed on his staff.

During her opening arguments on March 18, Pescatore told jurors that for Gosnell, his abortion practice was all about the money. "He had high volume and maximum profit," she said. Police found $250,000 in cash during a 2010 search of his home.

Prosecutors claimed Gosnell would upcharge for pain killers and let the patients choose the amount of anesthesia they wanted. They were broken down into four categories -- local, heavy, twilight and custom.

Pescatore also said Gosnell would treat patients differently based on their race. White women would be taken to cleaner exam rooms and be treated directly by Gosnell. Black women would get dirty rooms and unlicensed workers, they alleged.

McMahon angrily discounted the claims calling the prosecution "elitist" and "racist" adding the case had become "a prosecutorial lynching."

He said Gosnell was a family man who gave up lucrative opportunities at medical centers across the country to serve the depressed West Philadelphia community.

Gosnell operated his three-story clinic for more than 31 years. McMahon says Gosnell treated thousands of patients and performed thousands of abortions inside the clinic over the years.

THE JURY

The jury consisted of seven women and five men. Most of the jurors are blue collar workers with four working for public transit agency SEPTA. All said they were either pro-choice or had no opinion on a woman's right to choose.

The group were subjected to graphic images and testimony over the course of the trial. Some visibly flinched at the evidence, while others teared up. They also got a glimpse at some of the equipment used inside the clinic.

Pescatore said she wanted to take the jury to the clinic, but was unable. So she had an exam table, ultrasound machine and other equipment placed in the middle of the third-floor courtroom at the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center. The equipment sat there for nearly the entire trial, just feet from the jury box.

NATIONAL ATTENTION AND THE AFTERMATH

The case sparked national attention with national media outlets, cable news channels and conservative bloggers descending on Philadelphia to cover the trial.

President Barack Obama said he was aware of the trial and pro-life bloggers claimed there was a lack of media coverage in the case. A claim outlets, including NBC10.com, rebuked.

The case also brought light to deficiencies in state oversight. The Pennsylvania Department of Health admitted the clinic went nearly two decades without being inspected.

Legislators later passed a law to require more stringent rules for abortion clinics in the Commonwealth.

Gosnell won't be done with court once this trial is adjourned. He still faces federal charges for allegedly running an illegal narcotics operation out of the clinic.

As he was led from the courthouse in shackles and a gray prison outfit, Gosnell smirked to the waiting media, before being loaded by sheriff deputies into a van and returned to jail.

NBC10's Yoni Greenbaum, Emad Khalil, Daralene Jones, Doug Shimell and Lu Ann Cahn contributed to this report.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

After re-hearing four hours worth of testimony from a former employee of Dr. Kermit Gosnell Wednesday, jurors deliberating murder charges against the former abortion doctor would like to hear a second employee’s sworn comments.

Now in their eighth day of deliberations in the murder trial, the jury requested to hear the testimony of Adrienne Moton. The 35-year-old was the first employee to testify in the trial and cried on the stand.

The jury is interested in hearing Moton's testimony regarding a baby that was delivered into a toilet inside the West Philadelphia clinic, Women's Medical Society. Moton described how the baby seemed to struggle in the toilet before she snipped its neck with scissors.

Moton also took a picture of one of the babies Gosnell is accused of murdering. Referred in court as Baby A, Moton says the boy was nearly 30 weeks old when he was aborted. Pennsylvania law prohibits abortions beyond 24-weeks.

She claims Gosnell even joked about the baby’s size saying he was so big the baby could have walked to the bus stop.

Gosnell faces first-degree murder charges in the deaths of four babies. He is accused of delivering the babies alive and then killing them by cutting their spinal cords. Prosecutors say Gosnell regularly performed late-term abortions at his clinic.

The 72-year-old is also charged with third-degree murder in the death of 41-year-old Karnamaya Mongar. A native of Bhutan and resident of Virginia, Mongar died during a 2009 abortion procedure. Prosecutors say she was given a lethal dose of pain killers and anesthesia.

On Wednesday, jurors heard more than 200 pages of testimony from Lynda Williams, the woman who administered those drugs to Mongar. Williams acted as the clinic’s anesthesiologist, even though she had no certification or formal training and simply an 8th grade education. She already pled guilty to third-degree murder.

Moton has pled guilty to third-degree murder as well, in turn for her testimony against Gosnell. She told the court she had snipped the spinal cords of 10 fetuses during her time at the clinic.

The woman said snipping was a "common practice" at the clinic. She faces 60-120 years in prison for her crimes.

Jurors spent about three hours listening to Moton's testimony Thursday before returning to deliberations around 2:45 p.m. They finished for the day about an hour later without a verdict.

Jack McMahon, Gosnell’s defense attorney, has said his client never delivered a baby alive. He said Gosnell used the drug Digoxin to stop the babies hearts in the womb before they were delivered.

If found guilty of first-degree murder, Gosnell faces the death penalty.

Deliberations will continue for a ninth day on Friday.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

The jury weighing charges in the murder trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell has asked the court to see the testimony of one of his former employees.

On the sixth day of deliberations, jurors requested the full testimony of Lynda Williams. Williams assisted with abortions at Women's Medical Society, Gosnell's West Philadelphia clinic.

The 44-year-old admitted to snipping the neck of one of the babies Gosnell is charged with murdering, referred to in court as Baby C.

Gosnell, 72, is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of four babies. Prosecutors allege Gosnell delivered the babies alive during late-term abortions and then killed them by snipping their spinal cords with scissors.

The former doctor is also charged with third-degree murder in Karnamaya Mongar's death. The 41-year-old died after being given a lethal dose of pain killers during a 2009 abortion procedure.

Williams also acted as the anesthesiologist during Mongar's procedure. She pled to third-degree murder in both cases in exchange for her testimony.

The former employee's testimony is 273 pages long and will be read aloud in court. Officials expect the reading to stretch on for four hours.

During her time on the stand, Williams told jurors she was being treated by Gosnell for bipolar disorder.

She admitted to only receiving an 8th grade education and certification to draw blood, even though she typically delivered anesthesia to patients intravenously.

Williams recounted how she administered four doses of drugs to Mongar -- describing how the woman's skin turned gray in color after the last dose.

Gosnell's defense attorney Jack McMahon has said his client never delivered a baby alive during abortion procedures. McMahon said Gosnell used the drug Digoxin to stop fetuses' hearts in utero before being delivered.

Seven women and five men are weighing a total of 268 charges against the former doctor. More than 200 of the charges are related to alleged abortion-law violations.

Jurors are also deliberating theft by deception charges against Gosnell's co-defendant and former employee Eileen O'Neill. Prosecutors say O'Neill pretended to be a doctor and billed for her services even though she was not a licensed physician.

If found guilty of first-degree murder, Gosnell faces the death penalty.

The deliberations wrapped up around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. They will resume at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday with the reading of Williams' testimony.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

Jurors in the Dr. Kermit Gosnell murder trial started off their fifth day of deliberations with a question about varying murder charges.

The jury of 12 asked Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Minehart to explain the differences between first and third-degree murder. They also asked for definition of the crimes malice, manslaughter and infanticide.

The jury has asked several questions related to the Gosnell capital murder case that's stretched on for seven weeks.

Gosnell, 72, is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of four babies. Prosecutors allege Gosnell delivered the babies alive during late-term abortions and then killed them by snipping their spinal cords.

The former doctor is also charged with third-degree murder in the death of former patient Karnamaya Mongar. The 41-year-old died after being given a lethal dose of pain killers during a 2009 procedure.

Defense attorney Jack McMahon has said his client never delivered a baby alive during procedures at his West Philadelphia clinic, the Women's Medical Society. McMahon said Gosnell used the drug Digoxin to stop fetuses' hearts in utero before being delivered.

Seven women and five men are weighing a total of 268 charges against the former doctor. More than 200 of the charges are related to alleged abortion-law violations.

The jury was brought back into the third-floor courtroom at the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center to hear the charges again around 11 a.m. Monday. The explanations lasted 25 minutes. The courtroom doors were locked as Judge Minehart defined each charge.

Jurors are also deliberating theft by deception charges against Gosnell's co-defendant and former employee Eileen O'Neill. Prosecutors say O'Neill pretended to be a doctor and billed for her services even though she was not a licensed physician.

The jury has asked a handful of questions over the course of deliberations. Former Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham says the fact the jury has asked many questions suggests they are taking their time with the cases.

"I think the jury is trying to be very thoughtful and very careful, not rushing to judgment," Abraham said.

The former DA says the difference between first and third-degree murder hinges on pre-mediation.

"First-degree murder is a murder committed with willful, deliberate and pre-meditated state with an intent to kill. That's the grand ingredient of murder -- malice plus an intent to kill specifically," she said.

"Third-degree murder is a death which results with malice, but there's no specific intent to kill, but nevertheless, the person dies."

If found guilty of first-degree murder, Gosnell faces the death penalty.

Gosnell's wife Pearl and other former employees, all who have pled guilty to various crimes, were set to be sentenced Monday, but those proceedings were continued.

By 4 p.m., the jury had finished deliberating for the day. The sixth day of deliberations will continue at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Now that Dr. Kermit Gosnell's Philadelphia murder trial has finally gone to the jury, we should take a moment to debunk, once and for all, the delusional right-wing claim that "the liberal media" supposedly refused to cover the story because "the liberal media" supposedly didn't want to publicize the dark side of abortion.

This claim of a media blackout conspiracy is laughable (no surprise there), as we shall soon see. But, the right's worst delusion is its belief that Gosnell — charged with four counts of killing fetuses during illegal late-term procedures — will be a boon to the national anti-abortion movement.

Perceptions

For instance, conservative litigator Jordan Sekulow thinks that Gosnell's trial "paints the stark and unmistakably abhorrent reality of abortion."

In truth, Gosnell is a classic back-alley practitioner, the kind of quack who thrived prior to Roe v. Wade — and would again if the bad old days ever returned. Gosnell is actually an advertisement for why early abortions should remain legal, with government oversight to keep them safe.

Gosnell has been on trial since March 18, and the testimony has been gruesome to the point of being unreadable.

Impoverished women with late-trimester pregnancies went to his West Philadelphia clinic, which was like a charnel house. The horrific details were first released in a grand jury report back in 2011 — which was when I first learned of the case. I read about it that year, thanks to a pair of stories in The New York Times.

Coverage in, and since, 2011

Wait, there were news stories about Gosnell two years before he went on trial? What kind of a "liberal media" blackout is that?

Gee, I guess the Times didn't get the conspiracy memo.

Nor did the Philadelphia Inquirer, which has long tracked the Gosnell story.

Nor did the Associated Press, which has run roughly 20 stories since jury selection.

Nor did NPR, which did a Gosnell story two years ago.

Nor did Time magazine, which started covering the story two years ago.

Nor did Slate, the online magazine, which started covering the story two years ago — as did The Daily Beast.

Nor did NewsWorks - the website you're now reading - which has been on the case since 2011.

And that's just a cursory sampling.

Care to guess who hasn't closely covered the Gosnell story? The conservative press.

Lack of coverage

The Washington Times, for instance, ran an AP story at the outset of the trial, but never sent a reporter to cover it. Instead, the paper has run half a dozen stories about how the "liberal" media supposedly isn't covering it.

That makes good business sense. It's a heckuva lot cheaper to dream up fake conspiracies and complain about them, than to do actual shoe-leather reporting.

But the real howler is the belief that Gosnell will be a great propaganda weapon for the antiabortion movement.

Dream on

The reality is that Gosnell is an extreme anomaly. As The Daily Beast site rightly pointed out — in its coverage 27 months ago — "Gosnell’s clinic was in no way representative of most abortion facilities, which is why the country’s largest organization of abortion providers, the National Abortion Federation, refused him membership and testified against him to the grand jury."

Gosnell is accused of infanticide, which is obviously illegal. He's accused of doing procedures on women who were more than 24 weeks pregnant and, in Pennsylvania, that's illegal. All told, his sordid saga has no bearing on legal abortion as it's commonly practiced in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control, only 1.3 percent of annual abortions are performed on women beyond 20 weeks. Ninety two percent are performed on women before 14 weeks.

To suggest that all abortions should be banned because of Kermit Gosnell is akin to saying that all financial counseling should be banned because of Bernie Madoff, or that all accounting firms should be banned because Arthur Anderson cooked the books for Enron.

On the other hand, if we want more Kermit Gosnells, then, by all means, let's ban all abortions. Let's cut off all access to affordable and safe providers; let's make it tougher for women to find somewhere safe to go. That way, more back-alley butchers would thrive.

Medical abuses would be so common that they'd cease to be newsworthy, and nobody in the press would bother to cover them — unlike the Gosnell story, a news staple since 2011.

This story was reported through a news coverage partnership between NBC10.com and NewsWorks.org

The day former abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell’s defense attorney was set to begin presenting his case -- he rested. Gosnell's future now rests on a jury's shoulders.

Jack McMahon did not call one witness to the stand in defense of Gosnell Wednesday, before announcing "the defense rests."

A day earlier, McMahon successfully argued three of the first-degree murder charges his client faced should be tossed out.

In January 2011, Gosnell was was charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of seven babies. Prosecutors alleged the former doctor delivered the babies alive and then killed them by snipping their spinal cords with scissors.

Third-degree murder charges were also brought against the 72-year-old over the death of patient Karnamaya Mongar. Mongar, 41, died after being given a lethal dose of pain killers and anesthesia during a 2009 abortion procedure at Gosnell's West Philadelphia clinic, the Women's Medical Society.

On Tuesday, McMahon motioned that Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Minehart acquit Gosnell on several murder charges because of a lack of scientific evidence. He argued the prosecution could not prove the babies were born alive even though several former employees testified witnessing babies move, make noise and breathe.

McMahon said Gosnell routinely administered drugs that would stop the fetuses' heart in utero and that any movement seen by the employees could be nothing more than involuntary spasms.

Philadelphia's chief medical examiner Dr. Sam Gulino testified he could not say for certain whether any of the 47 fetuses he examined were born alive.

Judge Minehart agreed with the assertion on three of the cases -- tossing three first-degree murder charges before they went to the jury. One charge of infanticide and five counts of abuse of a corpse were also acquitted.

Prosecutors Joanne Pescatore and Ed Cameron spent five weeks presenting its case against Gosnell. They called 36 witnesses to the stand, including former clinic employees who recounted graphic accounts of abortion procedures.

Kareema Cross testified she saw babies breathe and move and one utter a "soft whine." Cross recounted how she watched a baby aborted into a toilet "swimming...trying to get out of the water."

The 28-year-old also claimed she watched Gosnell kill one fetus, referred to as Baby A. Cross said Baby A was placed into a plastic container and that the boy moved inside. His neck, she said, was snipped 20 minutes later.

Cross claimed Baby A was so large, Gosnell joked the boy was big enough to walk home.

Stephen Massof, who acted as an unlicensed doctor at the clinic, said "it would rain fetuses." Another employee, Sherry West, testified she was disturbed when a baby made a screeching noise during a procedure.

"It sounded like a little alien. It really freaked me out," West told the court.

Ashley Baldwin, a third employee who was 15-years-old when she worked for Gosnell, said she saw at least one baby's chest move during a procedure.

Prosecutors dubbed Gosnell's clinic a "House of Horrors" after a 2010 raid uncovered deplorable conditions inside. Aborted fetuses in household containers and plastic bags were found inside a freezer. Dirty, old equipment and blood-stained exam tables filled rooms at the practice at 3801 Lancaster Avenue. Staffers were found to be untrained and unlicensed.

Over the course of the six-week trial, jurors were shown graphic images of aborted babies and equipment from the clinic was brought into the third-floor Philadelphia courtroom.

While McMahon's choice not to bring forth any witnesses may surprise some,  Philadelphia jury consultant Melissa Gomez says she has seen this strategy before.

“I have seen this happen before in criminal trials in which the defense decides that it has done enough in the prosecution’s case through cross examinations to cause a reasonable doubt and either does not need or decides it is not worth the risk to call its own witnesses considering that the prosecution would also be able to cross examine,” Gomez said.

Although she has not been following the day-to-day events of the trial, Gomez said, “Considering he got three charges dismissed, it sounds like he did do a decent job poking some holes in the prosecution’s case, so maybe he was right to let the evidence be and just close.”

Gosnell still faces four counts of first-degree murder over the babies deaths and third-degree murder in Mongar's death. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

The jury is expected to be charged on Tuesday.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

After taking a sick day, defense attorney Jack McMahon roared back into Philadelphia courtroom 304 Tuesday -- moving to have his client, Dr. Kermit Gosnell, acquitted on murder charges. A move he partly achieved.

A tall, bullish man with a freckled, shiny head tried not to let a respiratory bug stifle his fiery assertions to Judge Jeffrey Minehart that the prosecution's evidence didn't support their argument that Gosnell delivered babies alive before snipping their spinal cords.

The prosecution has spent five weeks presenting its case against Gosnell. The former abortion doctor was charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of seven babies. He is also charged with third-degree murder in the death of patient Karnamaya Mongar.

Fighting a phlegm-filled cough, McMahon argued not just to Judge Minehart, but to the two dozen or so journalists and citizens sitting in the gallery. In a black pinstripe suit and red tie, the 60-year-old frequently turned to share glances with those sitting in the pew-like benches behind him.

The media section swelled from local outlets and the Associated Press to journalists from national cable networks and bloggers from conservative pro-life websites. Three sketch artists captured visual details of the courtroom, some using binoculars.

Among the media, Dr. Alveda King, the niece of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King, who received two abortions herself, says she's at the trial blogging to "help people understand" abortion is "wrong."

"Those abortions hurt me and killed my babies," she said. King says she now believes it was wrong to undergo the procedures.

Back before the judge, Gosnell sat quietly on the left side of the room. The 72-year-old took copious notes as his attorney debated the validity of the prosecution's case. A hardcover version of Knight's Forensic Pathology sat next to him.

Arguing his motions, McMahon angrily shouted at the prosecution as Ed Cameron tried to butt in on McMahon's argument.

"I don't interrupt you," he exclaimed with his arms crossed so tightly, his suit jacket strained.

Minehart, leaning back and closing his eyes at times to process the arguments, eventually ruled the evidence did not support bringing three of the murder charges to the jury. He also dropped one count of infanticide and five counts of abuse of a corpse.

The media rushed from the court after the judgment to call their editors and alert followers on social networks.

Observer Tyrone Nunnely expressed disappointment in the partial acquittal, but believed there were so many charges against Gosnell, some were bound not to stick.

"You expect not to get them all," he told NBC10.com.

This was the fourth time the 75-year-old and his 65-year-old wife, Linda, have come up from Virginia to hear the proceedings.

"It's ridiculous what this man had done," Linda, a mother of two, said. The couple has visited the site of Gosnell's former West Philadelphia clinic, the Women's Medical Society.

"We're carrying the message to other people who are not aware [of the case] in our community," she said.

After Minehart's rulings and a lunch recess, Gosnell gave a long stare to the media section. He offered a slight smile under his furrowed brow.

By then, the gallery had swelled to near capacity as Drexel University law students filled the seat to see the proceedings in action. A pre-planned trip, students were eager to see the high-profile case in action.

But all that was left for the day was character witnesses testifying on behalf of former Gosnell employee Eileen O'Neill -- a far cry from the day's earlier revelations.

McMahon will formally begin presenting his case Wednesday.

In cases like the “House of Horrors” abortion clinic trial, the impact of enduring weeks of such graphic testimony and images on jurors is something attorneys on both sides have to weigh carefully.

“If you use it too much, it can actually backfire because jurors will think, ‘You’re trying to upset me to get what you want,’” said Philadelphia jury consultant Melissa M. Gomez.

In the Dr. Kermit Gosnell murder trial, jurors have been bombarded over the last five weeks with gruesome photos and details. The prosecution is trying to prove that Gosnell killed seven babies and one patient. They put 36 witnesses on the stand, many recounting similar stories, supported with pictures that initially were so disturbing, the reaction in the courtroom was visceral.

"You could hear the gasps in the back from observers and the media," said NBC10's Emad Khalil who has been covering the trial since day one. "And I looked over at the jurors right away and one of them had her hand over her mouth and was looking away, others were grimacing."

That was the first day of photos. Over time, jurors saw pictures of fetuses that were not fully developed with deep gashes in the back of their necks, another with an arm sticking out of a body with a face that didn't yet look quite human. And Baby A, the most developed baby, with defined legs, hair, and a skull that looked crushed. There were tiny feet and body parts in containers, stories told of how women would abort into toilet water and one former worker who told of seeing an aborted baby moving to get out of the water.

“It was way more visible, the reaction of the jurors, in the beginning. You could read the emotion on their faces,” Khalil said.

As time marched on, however, jurors barely reacted, according to Khalil, at even the most gruesome details or images.

“There’s only so much the brain can handle,” said Gomez, who has a Ph.D. in Psychology. “It’s not that it becomes less disturbing or upsetting, but it’s just not as shocking.”

And jurors, she says, take their responsibility very seriously.

“Jurors understand that they have to put their shock where it needs to be so they can make an intellectual decision. It becomes both an emotional and practical issue.”

While Gomez has not been following the Gosnell trial day-to-day, she says in general, when attorneys are faced with how to handle or present very graphic images and details, reading where the jurors are emotionally, is critical.

“It’s important to know when enough is enough and to know when the story has been told; to know when you have that consensus to show the burden of proof and to know when you’re beating a dead horse.”

During personal injury trials where the injuries are “really awful,” Gomez says she will sometimes recommend not showing photos.

“You tell the story, talk about the injuries, acknowledge how upsetting they are, put them in an envelope and tell jurors if they choose to look at them, they can, but it really just depends on the context and the case. Sometimes, you have to do it. In a criminal case like this, it sounds like the jurors needed to see what happened,” Gomez said.

And in a case like Gosnell’s, what if you’re the attorney who is following five weeks of disturbing images and details, like Jack McMahon will be on Tuesday?

“I think it’s going to be important for him to acknowledge how upsetting those images are. There’s a balance,” said Gomez. “You have to acknowledge the real emotion, but then be able to convey, ‘Does an upsetting image mean guilt or innocence?’”

In Gosnell’s case, getting it right, at best, could keep him out of prison. And if the verdict doesn’t go his way, it could still mean the difference between life and death.

After five weeks of difficult and gruesome testimony, the prosecution rested in the murder trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell. Defense attorney Jack McMahon will now have the chance to lay out his case to the jury. Here’s a look back at the courtroom action from week five. For more of our extensive coverage from inside the courtroom, click here.
 

Abortion Doctor Joked Baby was Big Enough to Walk Home: Testimony
The most gruesome testimony was saved for last by the prosecution before they rested their case. Kareema Cross, 28, described to the jury how she would witness babies breathe and move after delivery, before being murdered with the snip of the spinal cord. Cross recounted how she watched one baby struggle after being delivered into the toilet. She also told jurors about how Gosnell allegedly joked one baby was so large and developed, he could have walked home.
READ MORE


Final Witnesses for the Prosecution
Before Cross testified, former co-worker Latosha Lewis took the stand. The 31-year-old testified how she used to give patients anesthesia, even though she was only trained as a medical assistant. Lewis says she stopped assisting with abortions at the Women's Medical Clinic, Gosnell's West Philadelphia practice, in 2008. But she continued handing out medicine at the front desk.
READ MORE

President Obama Talks About “House of Horrors” Trial
The "House of Horrors" trial started getting national media attention four weeks into the proceedings, prompting questions to President Barack Obama. In an exclusive interview with the TODAY Show's Savannah Guthrie, Obama said he was "familiar" with the trial. He went on to say he couldn't comment further because the trial was ongoing. Obama did, however, share his views about providing abortions and how those medical professionals who break the law should be treated.
READ MORE

Woman Survived War, Died After Gosnell Abortion
The daughter of Karnamaya Mongar, the woman who died after receiving a lethal dose of pain killers and anesthesia during a 2009 abortion, testified about her mother and the procedure. Yashoda Gurung recalled her family's life in a refugee camp in Bhutan before emigrating to the United States. The 26-year-old told the jury, through a translator, how her mother complained about pain during the procedure. Gurung also witnessed firefighters having to cut bolts off of the clinic's emergency door to allow EMS crews inside.
READ MORE

Philly M.E. Not Sure if Babies in Abortion Clinic Were Born Alive
The pillar of the prosecution's first-degree murder case against Gosnell is the assertion that the babies he's charged with murdering were delivered alive. However, Philadelphia's chief medical examiner told the court he couldn't be certain that they were. After examining 47 fetuses stored in freezers inside Gosnell's West Philadelphia clinic, Dr. Sam Gulino testified three fetuses had the possibility of viability. But he could not say for certain if they were alive.
READ MORE

Kermit Gosnell is charged with murdering seven babies by snipping their spinal cords after delivery. The 72-year-old faces first-degree murder charges in those instances. Gosnell is also charged with third-degree murder in the death of Karnamaya Mongar.

NBC10.com has been covering the Gosnell "House of Horrors" trial extensively. We have daily reports from inside the courtroom. Visit our "House of Horrors" section for more.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

The prosecution put its last witness on the stand today in the "House of Horrors" abortion clinic trial, wrapping up five weeks of testimony with some of the most graphic and disturbing details.

Kareema Cross described babies being born alive, watching them breath, watching their limbs move and even watching one struggle after being aborted into toilet water. Another baby she said uttered a "soft whine."

She testified that at one time, co-worker Lynda Williams called her over and Williams pulled the arm of a baby and watched it pull its arm back. Cross said the "fully intact" baby's neck was snipped about 20 minutes later.

Cross told jurors that she also witnessed a baby being aborted into a toilet at the clinic and recalled seeing it "swimming...trying to get out of the water." She described one baby, "Baby A" as the largest baby she saw at the clinic and testified that her boss, Dr. Kermit Gosnell, joked about how the baby was big enough to walk home. She said "Baby A" was placed in a plastic container and that she saw him moving his arms and legs to fit himself into the box. Gosnell eventually snipped Baby A's neck, Cross said.

The 28-year-old woman is the last former employee to testify against her boss. Dr. Gosnell, who ran the Women's Medical Society in West Philadelphia. Gosnell is being tried on eight murder charges. He's accused of first-degree murder for the deaths of seven babies and third-degree murder for the death of a patient who died after Gosnell performed her abortion.

Prosecutors are also trying to prove that Gosnell performed illegal, late-term abortions on women who were more than 24 weeks pregnant, which is the legal limit in Pennsylvania. She said Gosnell told her the legal limit was 24.5 weeks, but that he would still perform procedures on women past that point in their pregnancies.

Cross worked at the clinic for four years. She started in 2005 with a Medical Assistant's degree from Cittone Institute. Her job evolved with the same progress as other former employees who started work with limited or no experience. Cross began at the front desk, she checked patients' vitals and did some minor blood work. She was later taught by Gosnell and his staff to perform ultrasounds and give medication to women.  

Cross said at one point during her tenure at the clinic, she needed an abortion but went somewhere else to have the procedure performed because of the filthy conditions at 3801 Lancaster Avenue.

"I just couldn't do it," she said.

President Barack Obama says he's "familiar" with the murder trial of former abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell.

In an exclusive interview on the TODAY Show Wednesday, host Savannah Guthrie asked Obama whether he's been following the trial which has been playing out in a Philadelphia courtroom.

Obama said he was aware of the case, but that he couldn't comment specifically since the trial is ongoing.

The president did, however, offer his thoughts on providing abortions. Citing comments by former President Bill Clinton, Obama says he believes "abortion should be safe, legal and rare."

"If an individual carrying out an abortion, operating a clinic or doing anything else is violating medical ethics, violating the law, then they should be prosecuted," he said.

Gosnell is accused of performing illegal, late-term abortions and killing babies that were alive.

The 72-year-old faces first-degree murder charges in the deaths of seven babies. Prosecutors allege Gosnell snipped the fetuses' spinal cords with scissors to kill them.

Investigators testified they found deplorable conditions inside Gosnell's West Philadelphia clinic, the Women's Medical Society. Dirty instruments, fetuses stored in freezers and baby feet preserved in jars were found inside the clinic.

Former Gosnell employees told the jury gruesome details about their time working at the clinic.

Stephen Mastoff, who acted as an unlicensed doctor at the clinic, said "it would rain fetuses." Another employee, Sherry West, testified she was disturbed when a baby made a screeching noise during a procedure.

"It sounded like a little alien. It really freaked me out," West told the court.

Ashley Baldwin, a third employee who was 15-years-old when she worked for Gosnell, said she saw at least one baby's chest move during a procedure.

Gosnell also faces third-degree murder charges in the death of his patient Karnamaya Mongar. The 41-year-old died after being given a lethal dose of pain killers and anesthesia.

Defense attorney Jack McMahon said the babies were given drugs to terminate them inside the womb and were not born alive.

McMahon said his client, who is black, is the victim of "an elitist, racist prosecution." He also likened the trial to a "lynching."

McMahon told the court officials could not apply "Mayo Clinic" standards to Gosnell's inner-city clinic when discussing the former facility's conditions.

The trial is in its fifth week and is expected to last several more. If convicted of first-degree murder, Gosnell will face the death penalty.

NBC10.com has been covering the Gosnell "House of Horrors" trial extensively. We have daily reports from inside the courtroom. Visit our "House of Horrors" section for more.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

The murder trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell is finished for the week. Here are the highlights of NBC10.com's coverage from this week in court. Follow our extensive coverage from the courtroom here.

Abortion Clinic Worker: "It Sounded Like a Little Alien"
The fourth week of testimony in the trial began with former employee Sherry West describing her time at Gosnell's clinic, the Women's Medical Society. West told jurors she joined the clinic in 2008 and spent two months training before administering drugs and performing ultrasounds. West said she was disturbed after an underdeveloped baby made a screeching noise during an abortion. She likened the fetus to a "little alien."
READ MORE

Woman Who Died After Gosnell Abortion Was in Severe Pain
Lynda Williams, Gosnell's anesthesiologist, took the stand Tuesday. She testified about her role in administering drugs to 41-year-old Karnamaya Mongar. Mongar died after being given a lethal dose of pain medication during an abortion in 2009. Williams, a 41-year-old with an 8th grade education, says she gave Mongar four doses of anesthesia after Mongar complained of severe pain.
READ MORE

Teen Abortion Clinic Worker: "I Saw Baby's Chest Move"
Ashley Baldwin, 15, talked about her work-study job at the Women's Medical Society. The teen testified she started at the front desk before being asked to deliver IV injections and assist with abortions. Baldwin told the court she witnessed babies move more than five times -- including seeing one breathe. She also testified hearing a baby screech during one procedure.
READ MORE

Kermit Gosnell is charged with murdering seven babies by snipping their spinal cords after delivery. He faces first-degree murder charges in those instances. Gosnell is also charged with third-degree murder in the death of Karnamaya Mongar.

NBC10.com has been covering the Gosnell "House of Horrors" trial extensively. We have daily reports from inside the courtroom. Visit our "House of Horrors" section for more.

Karnamaya Mongar was in severe pain, turned gray and went into cardiac arrest during her abortion procedure, according to the woman who administered her medication that day.

Lynda Williams is the latest former employee to testify against Dr. Kermit Gosnell in the "House of Horrors" abortion trial.

Gosnell is charged with the murder of seven babies at the clinic. He's accused of performing illegal late-term abortions and cutting the spinal cords of babies who were born alive. Gosnell is also charged with Mongar's death.

Williams, a soft-spoken, 44-year-old woman, has already pleaded guilty to third degree murder and conspiracy. She told jurors she was being treated by Gosnell for bipolar disorder and had worked at his medical clinic in Wilmington Delaware before starting work in 2008 at his West Philadelphia practice, the Women's Medical Clinic.

With an 8th grade education and Phlebotomy Certification for drawing blood, Williams said she trained for a matter of days before she began performing ultrasounds. Her work evolved to administering medication intravenously, or through an IV.

Mongar, a 41-year-old immigrant, was 19 weeks pregnant when she came in for her abortion on November 19, 2009. Before the procedure, Williams gave Mongar one pill of Cytotec, a drug used to induce labor. Williams also assisted in administering local anesthesia. When Mongar complained of pain, Williams said she called Gosnell, who told her to administer a second round of local anesthesia.

Mongar's pain did not subside, but turned severe, according to Williams. She testified that she was afraid to call Gosnell a second time, so she gave the patient more anesthesia, but only half the amount she'd given the other two times. Williams said when she did relent and consult the doctor again, he told her to give Mongar more anesthesia.

After the fourth dose of anesthesia, Williams said Mongar's skin turned gray in color and her breathing slowed. She said Gosnell continued to perform the abortion, and once the procedure was over, he started CPR on Mongar and told Williams to call 911.

Mongar was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where she died the next day. After an initial ruling of "accidental" death, once the medical examiner reviewed toxicology reports, he changed Mongar's cause of death to an overdose of Demerol.

Williams said after Mongar's death, Gosnell reassured her that she had done nothing wrong.

Like other former employees, Williams also gave graphic details of procedures and practices at the clinic, including an admission that she "cut the neck and cut the head" of a baby. She estimated that it was 26 to 27 weeks old. Abortions past the 24th week are illegal in Pennsylvania unless the mother's life is at risk. A baby is considered full-term at 37 weeks, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Williams said she witnessed Gosnell snip the necks of over 30 babies and that he sometimes gave her just the feet of a fetus, to place in formaldehyde.

Defense attorney Jack McMahon argued that Williams was qualified to administer IVs to patients and that of the hundreds of people treated by Gosnell and Williams, Mongar was the only patient to die. McMahon also established a timeline for the medication that Mongar received and concluded that only 100 mg of Demerol was given in a span of a just under six hours. His cross-examination continues tomorrow.

If convicted of the first-degree murder charges of the seven babies, Gosnell would face the death penalty.