The United States Department of Justice notified today, Monday, its determination not to seek the death penalty against Puerto Rican boxer Félix Verdejo, who is in federal prison after the murder of the young pregnant woman Keishla Rodríguez.
Rodríguez, who was Verdejo’s partner, was 27 years old at the time of her murder. Her body was thrown from the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge into the San José lagoon, tied with two blocks. The direct cause of her death was suffocation by immersion, so it was concluded that she was alive when her body fell into the water.
Verdejo’s alleged accomplice, Luis Antonio Cadiz Martínez, would not face the death penalty either, according to federal justice.
Verdejo Sánchez and Cádiz Martínez face a charge of carjacking resulting in death, a charge of kidnapping resulting in death and a charge of killing an unborn child, according to the statement from the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.
The fighter also faces an additional charge of using and carrying a firearm during and in connection with a crime of violence.
Verdejo was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 6, 2021, and is represented by attorneys Laura Maldonado, José Irizarry, and death penalty expert David Ruhnke. Meanwhile, Cádiz Martínez’s lawyers are José Aguayo and capital punishment expert Gary Proctor.
The indictment alleges that the defendants assisted each other, with intent to cause death or serious bodily injury, seized Keishla’s Kia Forte vehicle by force, intimidation, and violence, which had been transported, shipped, or received in the interstate commerce.
It is alleged that on or about April 29, 2021, “the defendants, aiding and abetting each other, unlawfully seized, kidnapped, and otherwise held Keishla, resulting in her death.”
They used a Dodge Durango SUV and cell phones to carry out the kidnapping.
“Verdejo knowingly used and carried a firearm during and in connection with a crime of violence for which he could be prosecuted in a United States court,” the indictment states.
The defendants, aiding and abetting each other, committed the described kidnapping and carjacking and intentionally caused the death of a child in it’s womb.
The boxer pleaded not guilty to the charges when he appeared at the formal arraignment and bail hearing before federal magistrate Camille Vélez Rivé. To questions from the magistrate, the boxer’s defense indicated that he had no proposals to present.
Prosecutor Jonathan Gottfried requested that he remain in custody pending trial against him for representing a flight risk and a danger to the community. The Probation Office recommended that he remain in detention.
Verdejo Sánchez and Cádiz Martínez are being held at the Guaynabo Metropolitan Detention Center.
