Jay Rodriguez: Florida man beat pregnant GF to death in brutal assault that left boot marks on her skull

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA: A Florida man who fatally beat his 6-month pregnant girlfriend— allegedly leaving shoe tread marks on her skull—will be imprisoned for the rest of his life.

In a Hillsborough County courtroom on Wednesday, Jay Leonard Rodriguez, 49, was found guilty on two counts of second-degree murder for the beating death of 25-year-old Jennifer Barreras and the death of her infant as a consequence of the attack.

Jennifer Barreras unresponsive, bruised, and swollen around her head

Rodriguez received two life sentences on Thursday. Records show that Berreras and her child died shortly after giving birth prematurely.

As reported by Tampa Fox affiliate WTVT, Jessica Gonzalez, the friend of the victim, testified that she witnessed Rodriguez repeatedly punch Barreras and pin her against a bedroom wall.

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

Barreras was described as petite by the outlet. According to the affidavit, at 3:25 am, a female witness — whom they choose not to identify— called 911.

“When officers arrived on scene they discovered the female victim to be unresponsive, severely bruised and swollen around her head and officers began life saving measures,” they wrote.

“The victim was noticeably pregnant (approximately six months along).”

In relation to the affidavit, the witness reported to the police that Rodriguez continued to beat the victim even after she "was cowering down to her knees."

When the witness asked him to stop, he responded by threatening to hurt her physically if she persisted in her involvement.

As per the affidavit, "The witness continued to watch as the defendant threw the victim down on the tile floor and kicked her several times in the face and stomach area."

"She also observed the defendant stomp on the victim’s face and stomach area."

Jennifer Barreras's child was born with heartbeat

The victim stopped screaming for assistance, fell unconscious, and lay motionless. The defendant continued to punch and kick her even after that. After the defendant departed, the witness dialed 911.

“The witness observed the victim unconscious and having difficulty breathing and attempted CPR at the instruction of the 911 dispatcher,” documents stated.

Authorities report that the baby was born at 4:15 in the morning with a heartbeat, but Barreras was pronounced dead at 4:25 in the morning, and the infant lived for a short while longer before being pronounced dead at 4:35 in the morning.

Rodriguez approached prosecutors about a plea agreement hours before he was scheduled to testify, but they turned him down, WTVT reports.

He depicted Barreras as the aggressor and stated that his only intention in touching her was to deter her from hitting him when he eventually stood up. He denied ever having even struck her, much less killed her.

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

However, according to authorities, Barreras's skull bore shoe tread marks that matched Rodriguez's shoes from that evening. According to the outlet, jurors returned a verdict on two counts of second-degree murder in less than an hour.