Slain children Lucia and Leo Krim mourned at Avery Fisher Hall; Police say tots were murdered by deranged nanny

Lucia (left) and Leo Krim were allegedly killed by their nanny on Thursday, October 25, 2012 at 57 W. 75th St. in New York.  

Bravely, the grieving dad recounted the magical Manhattan childhood of his two lost children, the happy memories they accumulated before, police said, their trusted nanny murdered them.

Relatives and friends gathered at a private memorial Monday for Lucia and Leo Krim in Lincoln Center. Their father, Kevin, became tearful as he recalled the "meaningless, violent crime" that claimed their young lives.

But when Kevin Krim got to the part where his 6-year-old daughter, Lucia, and 2-year-old son, Leo, were taken forever by a “meaningless, violent crime,” he could no longer contain his tears.

It was the most wrenching moment of the memorial service Monday for the two little angels who, police said, were murdered by nanny Yoselyn
Ortega.

“Mr. Krim spoke about his children. He told stories and it was so uplifting,” said one of the hundreds of mourners who attended the private service at Avery Fisher Hall.

“He made you feel joy and celebration for these children before you felt the sorrow, and I think that was an amazing thing.”


 In a statement, Krim and his wife, Marina, of the upper West Side, said they wanted to “celebrate the beautiful lives of Lulu and Leo” — not just mourn them.

“It is important to us that they are remembered as the sweet, creative, and fun-loving children they were,” the parents said in a release. The service began with the doomed kids’ music teacher playing the song “Daughter” by Loudon Wainwright 3rd, featured readings that focused on the slain children in happier days and closed with the Jack Johnson song “Go On.”

Security was tight. The Krims said that was for their surviving 3-year-old daughter, Nessie, who was with her mom at swimming class and escaped the carnage that claimed her siblings in their apartment.

“It is of utmost importance to us that she is afforded the opportunity to grow up privately, like any other kid,” the parents’ statement said.

By the end of the 90-minute service, there were few dry eyes among the hundreds of mourners.

“The strength that this family has is unbelievable,” said the mourner, whose kids attended the same school as the doomed Krim kids. “I think it gave us all a feeling of resolution,” she added. “As parents, we are looking for an answer, and there is no answer.”