Marissa Rodriguez, the mother of one-year-old twins who died in a hot car, has promised to stand by her husband after he was arrested and charged with manslaughter.
She said in a statement to NBC News: “I will never get over this loss and I know he will never forgive himself for this mistake.”
The devastated mother’s children, Luna and Phonex, were found lifeless in the car after their father, Juan Rodriguez, forgot to take them at daycare before going to work at a veterans hospital.
The father has pleaded not guilty to two counts of criminally negligent homicide and two counts of manslaughter.
“This was a horrific accident, and I need him by my side to go through this together,” said Marissa Rodriguez.
“Though I am hurting more than I ever imagined possible, I still love my husband. He is a good person and great father and I know he would’ve never done anything to hurt our children intentionally.”
The mother has asked for privacy so they could “grieve, be strong, and be present for our other children.”
Juan Rodriguez broke down into his wife’s arms and cried outside Bronx Criminal Court. He forgot his children in the back of his Honda Accord for 8 long hours while he was working at the James J Peters VA Medical Center. The temperatures that day reached 90F.
The father came back to his vehicle before 4pm and was driving for ten minutes before he noticed the babies were in the backseat.
“I assumed I dropped them off at day care before I went to work,” he told the officers. “I blanked out! I My babies are dead! I killed my babies!”
Shocked neighbors described Rodriguez as a devoted father. “He was always doing things with the kids,” one told The New York Post.
“Always in the yard playing. They had a big camp-out last weekend, with tents in the backyard. He would always play catch or basketball with his older kid.”
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section and SHARE this post with your family and friends!