Monday, March 18, 2019
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.
No one disputes John Jonchuck dropped his 5-year-old daughter from a Florida bridge to her death four years ago, but whether he is a murderer or insane will soon be up to a jury to decide.
Jonchuck, 29, goes on trial today for the Jan. 8, 2015, death of his daughter Phoebe, whom he dropped 62 feet into Tampa Bay as a St. Petersburg police officer watched helplessly. Jonchuck is charged with first-degree murder, but prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty. If convicted, he will automatically go to prison for life.
If his attorneys’ insanity defense works, he would be sent to a psychiatric hospital, and it’s unlikely he would ever be released. To be eligible, he would have to prove he was no longer mentally ill or dangerous.