Felix Verdejo will not face the death penalty for the murder of Keishla Rodríguez Ortiz and her unborn child

By: Sean Crose

The boxing world was shaken last spring when lightweight Felix Verdejo was accused of killing Keishla Rodríguez Ortiz and her unborn child in Puerto Rico. Rodriguez’s family has told authorities she planned to meet Verdejo to tell him she was pregnant with their child. Ortiz’s body was found in a lagoon in San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital. At first, Verdejo was said to be unwilling to assist authorities in their investigation. In the end, Verdejo turned himself into the FBI. He was charged with kidnapping resulting in a death – and a robbery resulting in the murder of an unborn child. Verdejo is eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

Now, it seems unlikely that Verdejo will face the death penalty if found guilty. According to the Federal Justice Department on Monday, the death penalty is off the table. “The United States of America has notified the court that the death penalty will not be imposed in this case against Félix Verdejo Sánchez and Luis Antonio Cádiz Martínez,” reads a document sent to the lawyers. Based on Telemundo: “The Federal Court System also identified the case as ‘CLOSED.'” Prosecutors have been waiting since the fall of 2021 to see if the Justice Department will decide whether to issue the death penalty. picture or not.

Last spring, prosecutors allege Verdejo and Cadiz-Martinez led Ortiz into a car on April 30. Verdejo then punched her and injected the pregnant woman with drugs. After tying Ortiz with rope and tying her to at least one brick, both men drove out to a bridge, where Verdejo then threw Ortiz into the water. The former track and field athlete then opened fire on Ortiz, although Ortiz’s cause of death was drowning.

According to the Verdejo and Martinez indictment, US Attorney W. Stephen Muldrew was quoted as saying that “Keishla Rodríguez-Ortiz was taken from a family that loved her, and she and her children were denied rights. life’s most basic, and the joy of knowing what that life can be… We hope that this process will bring some solace to the Keishla family. ”

Verdejo later pleaded “not guilty”.