An ex-Olympic boxer was convicted of kidnapping and murdering his pregnant lover and their unborn child by throwing her off of a bridge after she refused to have an abortion.
The guilty verdict. handed down Friday in the U.S. District Court of Puerto Rico, found Felix Verdejo guilty of kidnapping resulting in death and intentionally killing an unborn child. The trial lasted 25 weeks, during which the jury of nine men and three women heard horrific allegations and details about the gruesome murder of Keishla Rodriguez in April of 2021. Still, the jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict on the charge of intercepting and stealing a vehicle with the consequence of causing death or the charge of carrying a weapon to commit a violent crime.
Felix Verdejo (L) punches William Silva (R) during the WBO Latino Championship bout at Madison Square Garden on February 27, 2016, in New York City. (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Central to the case was the testimony of Verdejo-Sanchez’s alleged accomplice, Luis Antonio Cádiz. Cádiz pleaded guilty last year after securing a plea deal agreement in which he provided vital details about the violent incident.
Cádiz told prosecutors that Verdejo had tried to persuade Rodriguez to get an abortion.
Cádiz also claims that Verdejo punched Rodriguez and injected her with what he believed to be heroin before both he and Verdejo tied Rodriguez’ limbs to a cement block and threw her off a bridge into a lagoon.
The pair apparently did all of this in broad daylight with multiple witnesses.
Felix Verdejo shadow boxes in the ring during a media day workout at the Orlando Sports Martial Arts Academy on October 2, 2014, in Orlando, Florida. (Alex Menendez/Getty Images)
Police learned the location of Rodriguez’s body after Cádiz made an anonymous 911 call giving them the location.
Autopsy results did not reveal the presence of heroin, as Cádiz suspected. However, examiners did uncover the presence of fentanyl and xylazine, a sedative used on animals.
A sentencing session has been set for November 3rd. Verdejo, a former lightweight boxer with a 27-2 record, could face life in prison.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
