Tragic dad’s hope
Lawyer predicts nix of twin-death raps
A lawyer representing the dad charged with letting his 1-year-old twins die in a sweltering car said Thursday he believes prosecutors will drop criminal charges after doing their “due diligence.”
“We understand that they will continue to evaluate all aspects of the case, and we welcome their evaluation of that,” the lawyer, Joey Jackson, told reporters as his client Juan Rodriguez wept beside him.
“We believe at the conclusion of them evaluating all the facts, all evidence and everything in this case, they will come to the conclusion that this is a horrible tragedy.”
At a brief hearing in Bronx Criminal Court, prosecutors said they had not yet presented Rodriguez’s case to a grand jury because they’re still investigating.
“The DA’s Office is conducting due diligence in this case,” Jackson said.
Rodriguez, who is out on $100,000 bail, remains charged with two counts each of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the deaths Monday of 1-year-olds Luna and Phoenix.
Prosecutors have six months to present a case and a grand jury could ultimately decide to indict the Iraq War veteran.
Outside the courthouse, a tearyeyed Rodriguez held his 4-yearold son, Tristan, as his emotional wife, Marissa, clutched her spouse’s shoulder.
Jackson said the family is “completely crushed by this incident.”
“[Rodriguez] has nothing at all to harbor and hide, other than to feel misery and sorrow about what happened in this case,” the lawyer said.
The babies were found unconscious and foaming at the mouth in their car seats inside Rodriguez’s sweltering Honda Accord in The Bronx — after he forgot about them and went to work at a veterans’ hospital for eight hours.
“I killed my babies!” the distraught dad screamed after making the gruesome discovery, sources previously told The Post.
Rodriguez, who also has a 12year-old child, is due back in court on Aug. 27. “The purpose of that proceeding will again be to determine whether or not a grand jury has been convened to indict Mr. Rodriguez. We are hopeful that will not be the case,” said Jackson.
Rodriguez’s stepfather, Carlos Hernandez, said the parents don’t have the heart to tell Tristan the truth about what happened to his siblings.
“Tristan is missing his baby brother and sister. He has been asking about them. He tells his mommy he wants them,” said Hernandez. “They have to find a way to explain it to him. He knows something happened. He knows they are not coming home, but he doesn’t know why.”
The wake for the twins will be held in Yonkers on Friday afternoon. Their private funeral is set for Saturday.