Belgian convicted in 4 deaths _ 2 of them babies

March 22, 2013 | Modified: March 22, 2013 at 5:33 pm
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Child murderer Kim De Gelder looks up as he hears the verdict on the last day of the trial in Ghent, Belgium, Friday, March 22, 2013. De Gelder claimed he was mentally ill when he entered a kindergarten in January 2009 and stabbed to death two babies and a woman. He also stabbed a 73-year-old woman to death in her house days earlier. The jurors found that there was ‘’not the least bit of doubt’’ that he could be held accountable for his actions. He faces up to a life sentence in prison. (AP Photo/Nicolas Maeterlinck, pool)

< p>GHENT, Belgium (AP) — A 24-year-old Belgian man was convicted Friday and sentenced to life in prison for four murders, including the slashing deaths of two babies at a day care center in 2009.

The jury in the case also determined that Kim De Gelder could be held fully accountable in the killings, despite concerns about his mental condition.

There never was any serious doubt that De Gelder had killed the four victims, who also included a day care staff member and an elderly woman.

But the month-long trial centered on whether he suffered from a mental disease that affected his judgment when he committed the crimes.

The court said in a statement that the jurors found that there was "not the least bit of doubt" that De Gelder could be held accountable for his actions.

The trial was held some 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of the capital, Brussels, in Ghent, close to where the killings happened.