Dad of NY Twins Who Died in Hot Car Faces Upgraded Charges
A father who was charged in the deaths of his 1-year-old twins, after he allegedly forgot them in the car while he went to work, had his charges upgraded, police said Monday.
Juan Rodriguez was originally charged with two counts of manslaughter and two counts of negligent homicide, the NYPD said. His charges have since been upgraded to double homicide.
The 39-year-old social worker sobbed in court on Saturday when he pleaded not guilty to two counts each of manslaughter and negligent homicide. He was released on $100,000 bail.
It is unclear if he will be brought back again to court for the upgraded charges. Attorney information for Rodriguez was not immediately available.
According to a criminal complaint, Rodriguez told investigators "I blanked out, my babies are dead, I killed my babies."
The twins, Phoenix and Mariza, who had recently celebrated their first birthday, were left in the car at an employee lot at Fordham Manor VA Hospital from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Friday, police said. Their bodies were 108 degrees when they were found, the medical examiner said.
The twin’s mother, Marissa Rodriguez, asked for privacy so the couple could "grieve, be strong, and be present for our other children."
Marissa, spoke out Sunday saying she was grieving, completely devastated and in disbelief.
"Though I am hurting more than I ever imagined possible, I still love my husband," she said in a statement. "He is a good person and great father and I know he would've never done anything to hurt our children intentionally."
There's an average of 38 heat-related deaths of children locked in cars nationwide per year, according to kidsandcars.org, a website that tracks the deaths. It says as of July 16, there had been 21 this year.
from NBC New York - Top Stories https://ift.tt/2ykkACL
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