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FLORIDA - A Florida man was sentenced to death for murdering his 9-months pregnant secret lover just days before she was set to give birth.
Jose Soto-Escalera, 49, was convicted in 2018 for the murders of 23-year-old Tania Wise and their unborn son.
On Friday, Judge Lawrence Mirman sentenced Soto-Escalera to death after he was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder.
Wise was just one week away from giving birth to what would have been her second child, Josiah, when she was killed after reportedly refusing to get an abortion.
Her body was discovered in a ditch on the side of the road with her head bashed in and her throat cut on August 24, 2018.
The jury voted eight-four in favor in favor of the death penalty, before Judge Mirman agreed with the decision.
Soto-Escalera's lawyer, Tom Burns, argued that he had suffered a difficult childhood and been bullied. The attorney pushed for a life sentencing by noting his good behavior whilst behind bars, Law & Crime reported.
Judge Mirman argued that 'the aggravating factors' in Wise's death, and the death of the soon-to-be-born baby, 'outweigh the mitigating circumstances' of Soto-Escalera's good behavior and history.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... tence.html