DC woman to be sentenced for killing 4 daughters

[October 16, 2009]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- A D.C. woman convicted of killing her four daughters and living with their decomposing bodies for months returns to court Friday to be sentenced.

Banita Jacks was found guilty in July of the four murders. She faces life in prison.

But defense lawyers are still raising questions about Jacks' refusal to use an insanity defense. They're asking Judge Frederick H. Weisberg to appoint an independent counsel to investigate whether Jacks should have used it.

U.S. Marshals discovered the bodies of Jacks' daughters -- ages 5 to 17 -- in January 2008 when they came to evict her. The case prompted the city to review hundreds of child welfare cases and make changes to the agency.

[Associated Press]

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