Boxer Félix Verdejo Receives 2 Life Sentences for Throwing Pregnant Girlfriend off Bridge

Félix Verdejo, once considered boxing's next great Puerto Rican star, was sentenced to two life sentences in prison after being found guilty of killing his pregnant 27-year-old girlfriend. A federal judge sentenced Verdejo after an emotional speech from the family of Keishla Rodriguez, who was murdered in April 2021, reported The Guardian.

Verdejo was found guilty in July of kidnapping that leads to a death and of causing the death of an unborn child. On Friday, his lawyer announced that he intended to appeal the sentence. In Puerto Rico, the case's outcome was widely celebrated. "This sentence should serve as a lesson for others," Puerto Rico police commissioner Antonio López told the outlet. "It doesn't matter how much fame, money or power you think you have. If you break the law, you will have to respond."

Luis Antonio Cádiz, a friend of Verdejo's, who was also charged in the case, said during the trial earlier this year that the former boxer had pressured Rodriguez to have an abortion. Additionally, he testified that on the day Verdejo killed her, the ex-boxer punched Rodriguez, injected her with a toxic substance, tied her limbs to a cement block, and threw her off a busy bridge into a lagoon. He is then alleged to have shot at her body.

Sometime later, Cadiz called 911 anonymously and reported the location of Rodriguez's body. An animal grooming business reported Rodriguez missing after she failed to show up for work. She was found in a lagoon near San Juan. Officials were able to identify her based on her dental records. According to an autopsy, Rodriguez had fentanyl and xylazine in her system, a sedative used in animals such as horses.

According to Keila Ortiz, the victim's mother, her daughter told her before she went missing that Verdejo was coming to her house to see the results of a pregnancy test. "I told her, 'Be careful,' because he had already threatened her," Ortiz told The Guardian. The mother said that Verdejo had told her daughter not to have a baby because of his career and family commitments.

Despite having a young daughter and being married, Rodriguez's parents said Verdejo had known Rodriguez since middle school and maintained an ongoing relationship with her.

In Puerto Rico, many have called for better domestic violence protections after learning of this case. An earlier case of domestic violence that a judge dismissed infuriated many after a woman was found burned to death. In response to that decision, a judge has announced an investigation.

In the summer of 2012, Verdejo represented Puerto Rico at the Olympics and became a professional boxer that year, competing in the lightweight division of the sport. However, he was temporarily sidelined from his boxing career after he suffered a motorcycle accident in 2016. As a result of his 23 consecutive wins, he has been regarded by several publications, including the Guardian, as a potential successor to Miguel Cotto and Felix Trinidad in the line of Puerto Rican boxing stars who have preceded him.