Charges put on hold against NYC father who left twins in hot car
New York prosecutors will not pursue a grand jury indictment at this time against a father who's 1 year old twins died in a hot vehicle. Our Kena Vernon explains how often these cases are prosecuted, and what bills are being introduced to stop these deaths.
The criminal case against Juan Rodriguez, the father of the 1-year old twins who died in a hot car last week, has been put on hold.
Denisse Moreno, a spokesperson for the Bronx County District Attorney's Office, told reporters that there is no grand jury action at this time and that the next court date will be Aug. 27. Dozens of family and friends joined the Rodriguez family at the packed courthouse to provide support during their trying time.
According to NBC New York, Bronx County District Attorney Darcel Clark decided to hold off on bringing the case before a grand jury due to the need for further investigation. The news station reported that while the criminal case against Rodriguez is active, prosecution is paused.
“Mr. Rodriguez consented to a full search of his phone, his car,” Joey Jackson, Rodriguez’s lawyer, said on Thursday. “He has nothing at all to harbor and hide other than to feel misery and sorrow.”
The 39-year-old Rodriguez was arrested on Friday on felony charges of second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, along with misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child. According to kidsandcars.org, about 50 percent of people involved with cases like these face charges, with about a 30 percent conviction rate in those cases.
“A child is unknowingly left in a car by a parent, that is not criminal behavior,” Amber Rollins, director of kidsandcars.org, told AccuWeather. “The whole point of criminalizing something is deter it from happening in the future. If somebody is unaware that they’re doing something, criminal charges aren’t going to change that.”
Rodriguez told police that he thought he had dropped the twins off at daycare and had blanked in making his tragic mistake.
In the courtroom, Rodriguez sobbed and prayed throughout the proceedings. His wife, holding their 3-year old, sat in the first row to support him just as she had last week in a statement she released after the incident.
Jackson added that Rodriguez and his family will work with legislators in the future to protect other families from facing the horrors that they have endured.
“We want to see a system that can detect the presence of a child in a vehicle,” Rollins said, regarding technological advances for situations like these. “As standard equipment in all vehicles, not just a few models.”
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