Félix Verdejo – Olympic boxer could face death penalty after pregnant lover was drugged, shot and thrown off bridge
BOXER Félix Verdejo could face the death penalty after being charged with kidnapping and killing his pregnant lover.
The Puerto Rican, who fought in London’s 2012 Olympics, is accused of drugging Keishla Rodriguez, shooting her and throwing her off a bridge.
The body of Keishla Rodríguez Ortiz was found in a lagoon in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Saturday, two days after she was reported missing by her family.
Verdejo turned himself in to cops on Sunday after refusing to co-operate with investigators, according to police.
He has been charged with kidnapping and carjacking resulting in the death of Rodriguez and with intentionally killing an unborn child.
Judge Camille Velez yesterday confirmed the case was “death penalty-eligible”.
A criminal complaint filed against the boxer by the FBI accuses him of punching her in the face and injecting her with a syringe filled with an unidentified substance.
Police said Verdejo then bound her arms and feet with wire, tied a heavy block to her and threw her off a bridge at 8.30am on Thursday.
He then shot her with a pistol as he stood on the bridge, the complaint claims.
An unnamed witness reportedly helped the boxer kidnap and kill Rodriguez.
Rodríguez’s family said she was pregnant with Verdejo’s child at the time of her alleged murder.
Verdejo is married but had known Rodríguez since middle school and kept in touch with her, the victim’s mother Keila Ortíz said.
Ortíz said that her daughter had called her before she vanished Thursday and told her that Verdejo was coming to her house to see the results of a pregnancy test she'd taken.
Ortíz said she warned her daughter to "be careful", as Verdejo "had already threatened her," she claimed.
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She said Verdejo had told her daughter not to have the baby, citing his career and family.
Rodriguez's death has sparked a wave of protests in Puerto Rico, with hundreds of protesters gathering at the bridge where her body was found on Sunday.
It came shortly after where another woman was recently found burned to death after she filed a domestic violence complaint that a judge dismissed.
HOW YOU CAN GET HELP:
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid provides a . from 10am to noon.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.