Felix Verdejo, a former boxer, has been handed a life sentence in prison.

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Felix Verdejo, a former Puerto Rican boxer, has been sentenced to two life terms on Friday for the brutal murder of his 27-year-old pregnant partner.

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A federal judge sentenced Verdejo following emotional speeches by the family of Keishla Rodríguez, who was killed in April 2021.

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Verdejo, convicted in July for abduction resulting in a fatality and the death of an unborn child, is now challenging the sentence, according to his legal representative on Friday.

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In a recent trial, Luis Antonio Cádiz, a friend of Verdejo and co-accused, testified that the former boxer forced Rodríguez to have an abortion.

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During his testimony, he said that on the day of Rodríguez's murder, Verdejo physically assaulted her, poisoned her, bound her limbs to a cement block, and threw her into a lagoon from a crowded bridge in broad daylight.

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Cádiz subsequently contacted emergency services through an anonymous call, disclosing the precise whereabouts of Rodríguez's deceased body.

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Afterwards, Cádiz made an anonymous call to 911 and disclosed the whereabouts of Rodríguez's remains.

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The U.S. territory was left in shock by the case, prompting numerous calls for improved safeguards for victims of domestic violence.

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Verdejo had participated in the 2012 Olympics and became a professional boxer that year. He finished his career in the lightweight division with a 27-2 record.

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