Abortionist Kermit Gosnell may be considering plea deal

The Philadelphia Inquirer notes there is talk of abortionist Kermit Gosnell possibly pleading guilty to avoid the death penalty.  Gosnell is accused of murdering 7 children who were born alive after late-term abortions and killing one woman who was seeking an abortion.  It would be hard to imagine that Gosnell would stand a chance at trial considering all the evidence against him and because many of his former employees have already pleaded guilty and could testify against him.  

Gosnell never appeared in court at the city's Criminal Justice Center. Instead, he was in a prisoner interview booth attached to the courtroom.

There he spent about two hours as defense attorney Jack McMahon shuttled between the booth and Assistant District Attorneys Edward Cameron and Joanne Pescatore in a nearby waiting room.

Gosnell's third wife, Pearl, 52; a teenage daughter; and an adult son periodically joined McMahon in the booth.

Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey P. Minehart carved out the morning from an ongoing murder trial in case a formal hearing was required. But by about 1 p.m., the shuttling ended and the lawyers left.

It could not be determined if Gosnell had rejected a plea offer, as a gag order was cited by Cameron, Pescatore, and McMahon in declining to comment.

A last-minute plea deal is not unusual in a case like Gosnell's, where a death sentence is possible if the jury finds a defendant guilty of first-degree murder.