Olympic boxer Félix Verdejo found guilty of kidnapping, death of pregnant woman and unborn child
By Raja Razek, CNN
(CNN) — A federal jury on Friday convicted Olympic boxer Félix Verdejo-Sánchez in the deaths of a woman and her unborn child, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the District of Puerto Rico.
He was found guilty of kidnapping resulting in death and intentionally killing an unborn child, prosecutors said in a press release.
Keishla Rodríguez Ortiz and her unborn child were found dead in the San José Lagoon in Puerto Rico on May 1, 2021. A day later, Verdejo-Sánchez – who competed in the 2012 Olympics – was arrested and charged with their kidnapping, carjacking and killing, federal court documents show, according to CNN’s previous reporting.
A federal jury convicted Verdejo-Sánchez for the federal crimes that arose from Rodríguez Ortiz’s murder, which occurred on April 29, 2021, according to the release.
On the morning of Rodríguez Ortiz’s death, Verdejo-Sánchez carried out a premeditated plan to kill her and her unborn child, according to the release.
A witness told authorities Verdejo contacted him to help terminate a pregnancy after Rodríguez Ortiz told him she had taken a pregnancy test and was expecting his child, according to the criminal complaint.
Prosecutors said Verdejo-Sánchez lured Rodríguez Ortiz into his vehicle where, with help from another person, he assaulted and drugged her, the release stated.
Verdejo-Sánchez drove Rodríguez Ortiz to the Teodoro Moscoso bridge and threw her into the San José Lagoon with the other person’s assistance, according to the release.
Verdejo-Sánchez later jumped into the lagoon to “finish murdering both victims,” prosecutors said in the release.
“The jury determined, according to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Félix Verdejo-Sánchez, along with his co-defendant … aiding and abetting each other, committed a kidnapping that resulted in the death of Keishla M. Rodríguez Ortiz and her unborn child,” the release stated.
Verdejo-Sánchez is facing a mandatory life sentence for each conviction. He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 3.
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