Ambridge, Pennsylvania: Court of Common Pleas Judge Richard Mancini sentenced 49-year-old Krisinda Bright to the mandatory minimum sentence of two life sentences for the shooting deaths of her two children in February.
Bright initially entered a plea of not guilty to the charges filed against her in September, but after learning that the prosecution intended to seek the death penalty, she changed her plea to guilty on Tuesday, December 14, and was then sentenced.
A mental health evaluation had determined that Bright was competent to stand trial despite diagnoses of bipolar disorder and the fact that Bright was evidently currently seeking treatment at the Veterans Affairs hospital at the time of the shootings.
In February, after shooting both of her children in the head, she had called 911 to report the murders and awaited law enforcement on the porch of the home.
When officers arrived, they asked her if she was bleeding due to the presence of blood on her hands, arms, and clothing. She reportedly informed them that it was the blood of her children.
Bright, at the time of her arrest, waived her Miranda rights and spoke with police. During that interview, Bright admitted killing her children and reportedly stated she had purchased the shotgun several weeks before because she believed her children were going to be taken from her.
Beaver County District Attorney David J. Lozier stated that they had been unable to uncover any reason for her belief that her children would have been removed.
During the sentencing hearing Judge Mancini allowed family members to present victim impact statements. One statement was made by Kevin Bright, the father of her youngest child.
During his statement he recounted that about a month before the children were killed Bright apologized to him, seemingly out of nowhere saying, "God told her to apologize."