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Félix Verdejo with his lawyers at the Puerto Rico Police Department. Photo: Pablo Martínez Rodríguez.
Félix Verdejo with his lawyers. Photo: Pablo Martínez Rodríguez.

Felix Verdejo charged in the murder of Keishla Rodriguez in Puerto Rico

Olympic boxer Felix Verdejo has been charged in the death of Keishla Rodriguez, a 27-year-old woman who was pregnant with the boxer's child.

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Keishla Rodríguez Ortiz disappeared on Thursday, April 29. Two days later her body was found under the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge. She was 27 years old and was pregnant by the famous boxer Félix Verdejo, one of those now charged in her death.

Hundreds of people arrived at the funeral home in San Juan, Puerto Rico to bid her farewell. Meanwhile, a federal grand jury has indicted Verdejo and Luis Antonio Cadiz Martinez.

Both were indicted on one count of carjacking resulting in death, one count of kidnapping resulting in death, and one count of murder of an unborn child, U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow said in a statement on the afternoon of Thursday May 6. In addition, Verdejo was also indicted on one count of use and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime.

Rodriguez Ortiz's body was found in Laguna San Jose, near the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge and had to be identified through dental records. Verdejo Sánchez later turned himself in to the authorities and was detained without bail.

The investigation into Rodriguez's murder is advancing rapidly due to the cooperation of a witness whose identity is not public, but who allegedly helped the perpetrator and confessed to the FBI.

The FBI was able to establish that Verdejo and Rodríguez  communicated by telephone on the day of the kidnapping. In addition, surveillance images from a security camera show a car similar to the boxer's parked in the emergency lane of the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge, a fact that is also supported by the statement of the witness who remains anonymous, and coincides with the suspicions expressed by the young woman's family.

Rodríguez's murder is the 21st feminicide in Puerto Rico so far this year, according to the civil rights coalition Observatorio de Equidad de Género.

In late January, Puerto Rico's governor, Pedro Pierluisi, declared a state of emergency on the island due to violence against women. At least 60 women were murdered last year, an increase of 62% in femicides compared to the previous year.

Puerto Rican Natti Natasha has spoken out on the matter from her social media accounts, and joined the #NiUnaMenos movement, while rapper Bad Bunny has deleted a video clip he posted of Verdejo. This weekend, a caravan of cars of family, friends and citizens of the island said goodbye to Keisha crying out for justice. 

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