San Juan (AFP)
An Olympic boxer, accused of the murder of a pregnant woman in Puerto Rico, appears Monday before a federal judge, in a case that has rekindled outrage against feminicides on this Caribbean island, American territory.
Felix Verdejo Sanchez, 27, who notably competed in the London 2012 Olympics, surrendered to police on Sunday as he was subject to an arrest warrant on three counts .
According to a federal complaint obtained by AFP, citing a witness, the professional boxer is accused of "punching" Keishla Rodriguez Ortiz, also 27, in the face, of injecting him with the contents of a "syringe filled with substances" unspecified, for having tied her up, throwing her from a bridge into the water of a lagoon and shooting her, still from the bridge.
The body of the young woman, missing since Thursday evening, was found on Saturday at the edge of the lagoon.
Mr. Verdejo Sanchez is charged with kidnapping resulting in death, violent car theft resulting in death, and murder of an unborn child, charges for which he faces the death penalty.
US Federal Police have been able to establish that Felix Verdejo Sanchez and Keishla Rodriguez Ortiz communicated by telephone on the day of the kidnapping and surveillance footage shows a car similar to the boxer's on the bridge, supporting the claims of the witness and the suspicions expressed by the family of the young woman.
The drama sparked protests in Puerto Rico, whose governor, Pedro Pierluisi, declared a state of emergency in January over violence against women.
© 2021 AFP