The Puerto Rican boxer Félix Verdejo Sánchez turned himself in to regulation enforcement officers on the island on Sunday night and is going through prices of killing a pregnant girl whose physique washed up in a lagoon on Saturday, the authorities mentioned.
In accordance with a federal grievance, Mr. Verdejo, a light-weight boxer who represented Puerto Rico on the 2012 Olympic Video games in London, is accused of punching the girl, injecting her with “substances,” tying her physique to a block and throwing her from a bridge into the water.
The girl, Keishla Rodríguez Ortiz, disappeared on Friday. Her physique was discovered on Saturday and was recognized by way of dental data, the Institute of Forensic Science in Puerto Rico mentioned on Sunday. The police mentioned in a lacking particular person’s report that Ms. Rodríguez Ortiz had final spoken along with her mom about 7 a.m. native time on Thursday.
The authorities shortly recognized Mr. Verdejo, 27, as an individual of curiosity in Ms. Rodríguez Ortiz’s disappearance. He was seen on Friday strolling out of the San Juan Legal Investigation Corps headquarters, in response to experiences within the Puerto Rican information media. Capt. Luis Díaz Muñoz of the felony investigation corps instructed the newspaper El Nuevo Día that Mr. Verdejo was not cooperating with investigators.
In accordance with the federal felony grievance, Mr. Verdejo is going through prices of kidnapping leading to loss of life, carjacking leading to loss of life and killing an unborn little one. The fees carry a most penalty of loss of life, although no choice has been made on whether or not to pursue that penalty, in response to federal prosecutors.
Within the grievance, the Federal Bureau of Investigation relied on info from a witness whom the company describes as an individual “with firsthand, private information” of what came about.
Mr. Verdejo, in response to this account, contacted the witness “and requested his assist to terminate the being pregnant,” the grievance mentioned. The witness cooperated.
Mr. Verdejo and Ms. Rodríguez Ortiz met on Thursday night in Mr. Verdejo’s black Durango S.U.V. At one level whereas contained in the car, Mr. Verdejo punched her within the face “and she or he was injected with a syringe crammed with substances,” which weren’t specified within the grievance. Then, Mr. Verdejo and the witness tied her fingers and ft with wire. In addition they tied a block to her, in response to the grievance, and loaded her physique into the car she had pushed to satisfy Mr. Verdejo.
The witness and Mr. Verdejo drove each autos onto the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge, which spans the San Jose Lagoon, close to San Juan. In accordance with the grievance, they tossed Ms. Rodríguez Ortiz into the water. Then, Mr. Verdejo shot at her with a pistol from the bridge, in response to the grievance.
The 2 males deserted Ms. Rodríguez Ortiz’s car, which was discovered a day later. Legislation enforcement officers have been in a position to make use of cellphone knowledge to piece collectively the place Ms. Rodríguez Ortiz had traveled and with whom she had spoken earlier than she disappeared, in response to the grievance.
The data from Ms. Rodríguez Ortiz’s cellphone led regulation enforcement officers to Mr. Verdejo, and the bridge, the grievance mentioned. Surveillance video from the bridge reveals a darkish S.U.V. just like Mr. Verdejo’s parking on the emergency lane of the bridge. It additionally reveals “seen motion of not less than one particular person on the facet of the car.”
Mr. Verdejo was in custody on Sunday night and is predicted to make his preliminary courtroom look on Monday, in response to a spokeswoman for the F.B.I.
It was not instantly clear on Sunday night if Mr. Verdejo had a lawyer. He couldn’t be reached for remark.
Mr. Verdejo’s boxing report is 27-2, with 17 knockouts, in response to High Rank, a boxing promotion firm in Las Vegas. High Rank, which lists Mr. Verdejo as one among its fighters, didn’t reply to a request for touch upon Sunday.
“The ideas and prayers of High Rank are with the household and pals of Keishla Marlen Rodríguez Ortiz, and with the individuals of Puerto Rico on this second of mourning,” the corporate said in a statement on Saturday evening. “We’re profoundly disturbed by the information and can proceed to watch the evolution of the case because it progresses.”
Ms. Rodríguez Ortiz’s mom, Keila Ortiz Rivera, instructed El Nuevo Día that when she final spoke along with her daughter on Thursday morning, Ms. Rodríguez Ortiz instructed her that Mr. Verdejo was on his method to meet her to take a look at the outcomes of a being pregnant take a look at she had taken.
“I instructed her ‘Watch out’ as a result of he had threatened her to not have the infant, that he had his household, that he’s a boxer, that he’s a public determine,” Ms. Ortiz Rivera instructed El Nuevo Día.
Ms. Ortiz Rivera mentioned she obtained a name at about 9:30 a.m. from her different daughter, who instructed her that Ms. Rodríguez Ortiz’s boss had referred to as to say she had not proven up for work.
“For me, that was tremendous unusual as a result of she may be very accountable about her job,” Ms. Ortiz Rivera mentioned.
Ms. Ortiz Rivera mentioned she referred to as Mr. Verdejo to ask about her daughter, and he mentioned he didn’t know the place she was.
“You’re mendacity to me — that’s the primary lie,” Ortiz Rivera recalled telling him. “She talked to me a short time in the past, and instructed me that you just have been going to her home while you have been performed figuring out.”