PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — A St. Lucie County jury on Thursday recommended that a man convicted of killing his girlfriend and their unborn child be put to death.
By a vote of 8-4, the jury recommended that Jose Antonio Soto-Escalera be executed.
WATCH BELOW: Jury recommends death for man convicted of killing girlfriend
The same jury convicted Soto-Escalera last week in the 2018 killing of 23-year-old Tania Wise.
Prosecutors said that Soto-Escalera killed Wise so his wife would not find out that he and the victim were involved in a relationship.
Soto-Escalera, who was 41 years old at the time of the killing, was arrested 28 days after Wise's body was discovered in a ditch off a rural road in northern St. Lucie County.
DNA evidence confirmed Soto-escalera was the unborn baby's father.
Before the formal sentencing, a hearing will allow Soto-Escalera's defense team additional opportunities to present evidence in his case.
Soto-Escalera will be sentenced on Oct. 6.
