Man accused of beating pregnant girlfriend to death found guilty in Tampa murder trial

TAMPA, Fla. - After two days of testimony, the Tampa man accused of beating his pregnant girlfriend to death and killing his unborn child more than three years ago was found guilty on all counts. 

Jay Rodriguez, who is facing murder charges, has been on trial for the killings this week. It took the jury more than one hour to reach their verdict Wednesday evening. He will be sentenced at a later date. 

Before closing arguments Wednesday, Rodriguez took the stand and admitted that he provided drugs to his pregnant girlfriend, Jennifer Barreras, but had nothing to do with her death. 

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"When I left that night she was alive, and she was cussing at me like she always do when you have little respect," he said. 

When his attorney asked him if he ever beat her, Rodriguez denied it. 

"I probably grabbed her from not hitting me no more. I was telling her I was about to leave ‘don’t hit me no more,’" he explained. 

Pictured: Jennifer Barreras. 

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Just hours earlier, Rodriguez was ready to throw in the towel. His attorney, Carl Hayes, explained to the judge that he wanted to skip the trial and cut a deal with the state. After a quick huddle by prosecutors, they decided no deal and that the trial would go on. 

The sudden decision came on the heels of testimony from the medical examiner. 

The medical examiner had just described the fatal injuries that killed the pregnant mother and her unborn child. A series of catastrophic blows and stomps to the head left visible tread marks on her skull that were later matched to the shoes Rodriguez was wearing that night. 

Prosecutors said in October 2020, Rodriguez beat Barreras, who was six months pregnant, to death. Her screams for help were heard by her roommate and friend Jessica Gonzalez, who testified the petite mom was pinned up against her bedroom wall and punched repeatedly. 

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"He was picking her up and slamming her to the ground at least four or five times," Gonzalez testified on Tuesday. "Stomping on her and stomping on her stomach over and over again."

The young mom did not survive the beating, and her baby was delivered by C-section but died minutes later. Rodriguez was found guilty on two counts of second-degree murder.