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. It took them less than two hours to come to their decision.
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.
In an interview with CourtTV Tania’s mother says while she’s relieved — she’s still heartbroken.
"I'm happy justice has been done," said Liz Bedolla, Tania's mother. "No matter what happened, and yeah, we got the death penalty and everything, but I don't get my daughter back and I don't get my grandson. You know we still gotta live with it, be able to find a night that you can sleep all night we don't get that."
Before the formal sentencing, Soto-Escalera will have what’s called a Spencer hearing — a last-ditch effort for the defense and prosecution to present additional evidence, arguments, and expert testimony to the judge before the final sentencing decision is made. These hearings are required by law following death penalty decisions.
That hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6.
