A 27-year-old girl whose physique was present in a lagoon in Puerto Rico was a companion of light-weight boxer Felix Verdejo, who turned himself in to federal brokers on Sunday night time, in keeping with officers.
The physique of Keishla Rodriguez was discovered a few days after she was reported lacking. She was recognized Sunday through dental data, Puerto Rico’s Institute of Forensic Science mentioned in a press release.
A prison grievance filed by the FBI accuses Verdejo of punching Rodriguez within the face and injecting her with a syringe stuffed with an unidentified substance purchased at a public housing complicated. It alleges that he then certain her arms and ft with wire and tied a heavy block to her earlier than throwing her off a bridge at eight:30 a.m. Thursday.
The grievance states that Verdejo then shot at Rodriguez’s physique as he stood on the bridge. The grievance says a witness it didn’t establish helped Verdejo kidnap and kill Rodriguez.
FBI spokeswoman Limary Cruz instructed The Related Press that the federal company was submitting expenses that will quickly be introduced. In the meantime, the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace mentioned no choice had been made whether or not to pursue the dying penalty.
Verdejo and his attorneys beforehand declined remark, and police mentioned the boxer didn’t initially cooperate and refused to reply questions.
Prime Rank, which has promoted Verdejo, 27, since he turned professional in 2012, launched a press release on the state of affairs Saturday.
“Prime Rank’s ideas and prayers are with Keishla Marlen Rodriguez Ortiz’s household and mates, and with all these in mourning,” the assertion learn. “We’re deeply disturbed by the information studies, and we’ll proceed to observe developments within the case because it progresses.”
As of Sunday night time, Verdejo’s fighter web page was now not on the Prime Rank web site.
Rodriguez’s household has mentioned she was pregnant with Verdejo’s little one. Keila Ortiz, the lady’s mom, instructed reporters that her daughter had known as her earlier than she vanished Thursday and instructed her Verdejo was going to her home to see the outcomes of a being pregnant take a look at.
“I instructed her, watch out, as a result of he had already threatened her” and instructed her to not have the child, mentioning his profession and household, she mentioned.
Verdejo is married however has recognized Rodriguez since center faculty and had saved in contact along with her, her mother and father mentioned. They reported her lacking after she did not present as much as work at an animal grooming enterprise.
Verdejo (27-2, 17 KOs) is a former Olympian who represented Puerto Rico in 2012. His skilled profession was quickly sidetracked after he was hospitalized following a motorbike crash in 2016.
The case has outraged many in Puerto Rico, the place one other girl was lately discovered burned to dying after she filed a home violence grievance choose dismissed. A Superior Court docket choose has introduced an investigation into that call.
A whole bunch of individuals gathered Sunday at a bridge that crosses the lagoon the place Rodriguez’s physique was discovered to demand justice for her and different girls killed, with some throwing flowers into the water beneath.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto and The Related Press contributed to this report.
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