Mother apologises for shooting her teenage children

Julie Schenecker is escorted from Judge Emmett Lamar Battles' courtroom. Pictures: AP

A Florida mother who shot her two teenage children in the head says she knows what she did – but not why she did it.

Julie Schenecker apologised to “everyone in the courtroom” following her conviction on two counts of first-degree murder.

Crying as she spoke, Schenecker told the judge and jurors that she would have plenty of time in prison to “try to understand” why she killed her 13-year-old son, Beau, and 16-year-old daughter, Calyx.

The jury delivered its verdict within two hours, agreeing with the prosecution that the 53-year-old former military linguist knew exactly what she was doing when she aimed a .38-calibre handgun loaded with hollow-point bullets at her children’s heads.

The defence argued that Schenecker was legally insane.

Parker Schenecker listens as his ex-wife, Julie Schenecker, was found guilty of murder.