A Florida man who brutally killed his pregnant mistress just days before she was due to give birth has been sentenced to death.
Jose Soto-Escalera, 49, was convicted last month of two counts of first-degree murder in the 2018 killings of 23-year-old Tania Wise and her unborn baby boy. DNA testing later confirmed Soto-Escalera was the father of the child.
On October 10, Soto-Escalera returned to court to learn his fate. Judge Lawrence Mirman sentenced him to death for both murders, following the jury’s unanimous recommendation after a week-long trial that revealed the disturbing details of the crime.
Wise’s body was discovered dumped in a roadside ditch in St. Lucie County with severe injuries to her head and throat. Investigators later learned that Soto-Escalera had been in a secret relationship with Wise, which began after she met him while working at a club in Stuart.
According to a witness, Wise had told Soto-Escalera she was pregnant and threatened to tell his wife if he didn’t help her financially. He reportedly gave her $500 for an abortion, but when she didn’t go through with it, their relationship turned volatile.
During questioning, Soto-Escalera initially denied any affair. Investigators, however, uncovered a chilling piece of evidence: internet searches on his phone for phrases like “dead body in woods” and “wooded area dead body” just hours before the murder.
Detectives also obtained surveillance footage of a truck matching his near the crime scene, along with witness statements placing a similar vehicle in the area around the time Wise was killed.
Soto-Escalera eventually admitted to having a sexual encounter with Wise but continued to deny involvement in her death. He pleaded not guilty and maintained his innocence for years, but the jury ultimately found him guilty of the murders of both Wise and her unborn son, whom she planned to name Josiah.
He is currently being held at St. Lucie County Jail awaiting transfer to death row.
Why are so many women with low self esteem that they get involved with creeps
How is someone so gross even get a mistress that’s half his age? Are women that desperate to hook up with any loser that looks at them?