The Puerto Rican boxer accused in the horrific slaying of his pregnant lover was indicted by a federal grand jury for the killing this week — and may now face the death penalty.
The suspect, Félix Verdejo, is accused carrying out the brutal and calculated murder of 27-year-old Keishla Rodríguez, according to a complaint filed by the FBI in the US territory.
In the sadistic slaying, Verdejo allegedly punched Rodriguez in the face, injected her with an unknown liquid and tied her feet and arms to a block last week, according to the feds.
The former Olympic boxer then allegedly tossed her off a bridge and fired shots from a gun into the water where she was submerged.
Flowers, balloons and a poster with the Spanish word for “justice” is part of a growing makeshift memorial for Keishla Rodriguez.AP Photo/Carlos GiustiVerdejo turned himself into police last Sunday and is being held without bail. He was hit with a host of charges, including kidnapping and carjacking resulting in death and with intentionally killing an unborn child.
The boxer, who is married and has a young daughter, may face the death penalty if convicted.
Keishla Rodríguez’s body was found on May 1, 2021.Facebook“What I want is justice for Keishla,” the victim’s mother, Keila Ortiz, said at a press conference Thursday, according to the Associated Press. “We’re going through a pain that Tony and I never imagined.”
Bereliz Nichole (C), sister of late Keishla Rodriguez, takes part in a protest following her sister’s death in San Juan, Puerto Rico on May 2, 2021.Thais Llorca/EPA-EFE/ShutterstocHer father added that despite the brutal nature of the crime, he does not support seeking the death penalty.
Fencing surrounds the Metropolitan Detention Center in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico where Puerto Rican Boxer, Felix Verdejo remains in federal prison without bond after a hearing on May 3, 2021.RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images“That doesn’t solve anything for me. What’s done is done,” he said this week, according to the AP. “Let him remember every day who my daughter was.”
With Post wires