Jury sentences Yandamuri to death for killing of baby, grandmother

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (WPVI) -- The man convicted of killing a baby and her grandmother in King of Prussia has been sentenced to death.

At the moment 28-year-old Raghu Yandamuri learned he would receive the death penalty for the murders of 10-month-old Saanvi Venna and her 61-year-old grandmother Satyavathi Venna, he sat quietly inside the Montgomery County Courthouse and took a sip of water.

"Perhaps he was in denial. He certainly felt like he was going to win the trial itself. Which again, for anybody watching knew it was simply not going to happen," defense attorney Henry Hilles said.

Yandamuri was convicted last week for slayings inside Marquis Apartments in King of Prussia October of 2012.

The motive was ransom to get money for his gambling problem.

Jurors said in court, the circumstances that lead to the brutal murders were the reasons they chose death.

"We hope it can bring a little closure for the Vennas. This has been a difficult two years for them," prosecutor Kevin Steele said.

A forensic psychologist testified Yandamuri suffers from bipolar disorder which has gone untreated since he came to the US.

Defense attorneys say they prepared the man, who represented himself in court, that the death penalty was likely.

"Both Mr. Heckman and I felt that if he had expressed remorse, that we would have had a better chance to save his life, but that wasn't his strategy," Hilles said.

The victims' family has been in court since the beginning, but they were not present during the sentencing.

"I'm sure that they're going to be relieved. It's not going to give them back what they lost, but it is a sense of closure for them," prosecutor Samantha Cauffman said.

Yandamuri's family was also not in the courtroom. His mother is already back in India.

The man was also convicted of lesser crimes so the judge said Yandamuri's official sentence will take place in 45 days.