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Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia doctor notorious for being convicted in 2013 of the murder of three infants who were born alive in his abortion clinic, has passed away at the age of 85.
According to Maria Bivens, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, Gosnell died on March 1 at a hospital outside the prison system. At the time of his death, he was held at the State Correctional Institution-Smithfield, located approximately 60 miles south of Pittsburgh. The cause of death has not been revealed.
His clinic in West Philadelphia, often described as a “house of horrors,” became infamous for its appalling conditions and illegal practices. Gosnell was serving multiple life sentences when he died.
In court, former employees depicted a chilling scene, testifying that Gosnell regularly conducted abortions beyond Pennsylvania’s 24-week legal limit. They recounted instances where babies were born alive, showing signs of movement, whimpering, or breathing, only to be killed by having their spines severed—a procedure Gosnell chillingly referred to as “snipping.”
A file image shows Dr. Kermit Gosnell during an interview with the Philadelphia Daily News on March 8, 2010, in Philadelphia. (Yong Kim/Philadelphia Daily News via AP, File)
In addition to three counts of first-degree murder, Gosnell also was convicted of running a prescription pill operation out of the clinic.Â
“Gosnell pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including oxycodone, alprazolam, and codeine; distribution and aiding and abetting the distribution of oxycodone; and maintaining a place for the illegal distribution of controlled substances,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said in July 2013.Â
“Gosnell went from writing several hundred prescriptions for controlled substances per month filled at pharmacies in 2008 to over 2,300 filled at pharmacies in January of 2010,” it added. “Gosnell charged from $115.00 to $150.00, with a follow up visit fee of $50.00 and a $20 fee for refills of controlled substances for cash paying customers.”
Pedestrians pass in front of the Women’s Medical Society, the site of Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s clinic in West Philadelphia, Pa., in April 2013. (Mark Makela/Corbis via Getty Images)
Conditions at his clinic became known during a 2010 investigation of prescription drug trafficking. Â
Investigators described a foul-smelling place with bags and bottles of fetuses and jars of body parts, along with bloodstained furniture and dirty medical instruments.
Gosnell did not testify at his 2013 trial, but his defense attorney argued that none of the fetuses were born alive and that any movements were posthumous twitching or spasms, according to the AP.
Pedestrians pass in front of the Women’s Medical Society, the site of Dr. Gosnell’s clinic, in West Philadelphia on April 30, 2013. (Mark Makela/Corbis via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections for further comment.