Closing in trial of man who dropped daughter off bridge

CLEARWATER, Fla. — A prosecutor says a Florida man who threw his 5-year-old daughter off a Tampa Bay area bridge knew what he was doing was wrong, and that he should be found guilty of first-degree murder.

Prosecutor Paul Bolan told jurors in his closing arguments Monday that John Jonchuck clearly knew what he was doing when he dropped his daughter Phoebe 62 feet (18 metres) into Tampa Bay four years ago.

Jonchuck’s attorneys claim he was insane. They must convince jurors his mental illness was so severe that he didn’t know what he was doing.

But Bolan says Jonchuck’s act was premeditated and his fleeing the scene is proof he knew what he was doing was wrong.

If convicted of first-degree murder, Jonchuck faces a life prison sentence.

The Associated Press

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