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Pregnant Woman's Murder Exposed by Garbage Truck Video

45m 45s

Pregnant Woman's Murder Exposed by Garbage Truck Video

Tanya Wise, a 23-year-old mother-to-be, was found murdered in a rural ditch in St. Lucie County, where she had been struck from behind and killed with deep neck lacerations. The discovery was made by a driver who initially mistook the body for garbage. Despite initial suspicion of her boyfriend Bradley Rodriguez, DNA evidence revealed he was the biological father of her unborn child, despite his denials. A second suspect, Mark Burke, was ruled out through alibi checks. The real lead came from Jose Escalera, whose truck contained traces of Tanya’s DNA and whose cell phone data placed him at the scene. Surveillance footage showed him planning the murder in detail, including how to dispose of the body, while fully aware of being recorded. He admitted to the plan during a conversation with his nephew, and the prosecution’s case, bolstered by DNA and video evidence, led to a swift conviction. The defense argued Tanya’s past as a dancer exposed her to risk and questioned her character, but the jury rejected this, focusing on the cold, premeditated nature of the crime. Jose was convicted of both first-degree murder counts—Tanya’s death and the death of her unborn son—and sentenced to death. The trial was emotionally charged, with Tanya’s mother and son delivering powerful victim impact statements. Despite the defense’s attempts to argue for leniency, including claims of marital strife and a wife’s potential involvement, the jury unanimously found Jose guilty, and the death sentence was imposed. The case exemplifies how detailed planning, forensic evidence, and digital surveillance can lead to a strong conviction, while also highlighting the profound grief and trauma endured by the victim’s family.

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We're on top of breaking news. The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office is trying to identify a body found in a ditch at the intersection of Russo and Johnston Road. Sheriff Ken Mascarra has asked anyone who has a loved one who is missing to call the sheriff's office. They did not know exactly who she was, how she got there, who was involved. What police did know is horrifying. She was eight and a half months pregnant. Anybody who would kill a woman who is about nine months pregnant, you're dealing with a sadistic killer. As investigators are searching for answers, they discover one shocker after another. We're about to hear the defendants say I'm going to blow her brains out. As we're still you can ever imagine in this life. We are currently working to attain an analyzed forensic and digital evidence. We have all hands on deck at our crime lab. We got notified of a body found on the side of Johnston Road. That area of St. Lucie County is mostly rural. There's a lot of farms and agriculture still out that way. The body was on the south side of the road and like a drainage ditch. Somebody drove past the body, thought it was a pile of garbage, but it didn't look right. So they turned around, went back, looked close, read it, and saw it was a deceased person, and that's when they called. No identification, they were near her, no cell phones, no purse, no idea on her. There were no obvious signs of injuries at first because the way she had fallen, her hair had covered her face. When we were able to move the body, you can see that she had two deep, large lacerations to her neck. They started to clean on the left side and traveled to the right, and on the right side of the neck they got deeper and wider. Almost decapitating her, her head was barely attached. Based on the crime scene, it appeared that she was struck from behind on the head and was trying to crawl to get away and collapsed in the ditch. And somebody stood over her in my opinion and then slid her throat. We identified her through her fingerprint. The woman's name is Tanya Wise. She was mid-twenties. We found out that she lived with her mother and Port St. Lucie. That evening we went and delivered the notification to her mom. No, I think I screamed, I don't remember, I think I screamed, I couldn't believe it. I felt like I was a zombie. At that point, I wasn't really myself. I was the worst thing you could ever imagine in this life. Tanya Wise was very well loved by her family and all of her friends. She had a very strong relationship with her mother and she had a very strong relationship with her son. I'm always eight years old at that time. She was a very funny person, we'd always joke around and play a lot. And she was musical, she did choir and played the clarinet when she was younger. It is heartbreak. Tanya was due to give birth to her new baby in only two weeks. She just had a baby shower to celebrate. So I was excited because I was going to get a new little brother. Everyone was excited for her, especially since she's getting another son. She had a name picked up. Josiah Thomas. She said if my son's going to be a president, he needs to have a nice name. She wanted to keep it as a secret and rebuild that name at the baby shower. So how did this beloved mom and daughter end up in a ditch on the side of the road? When Tanya left the house the previous evening to go to the store, her family had no reason to worry. If somebody was coming to pick her up because she does have friends. So I was like, okay, I didn't happen to look at the window nothing. She usually goes out and comes right back, goes to the grocery store. When it came to the morning, I figured I'm going to drop the baby off of school and I started looking around and I couldn't find her. Then when I got home, the police would have met her. Whenever someone's found murdered, the first person that you tend to talk to is the person that they were dating or their spouse. That's usually suspect number one. Bradley Rodriguez was the boyfriend of Tanya Wise. He had been with her for some time. There were only getting off again. And there was some indication that he had been violent with her in the past. He was initially thought to be the leading suspect in the crime based on that relationship and based on their previous history. So Bradley was in his mid to late 20s. He was living in an apartment with his father near the hospital in Fort Pierce. He was working as a delivery person. He was a little rough, that's why I didn't like him very much. Just like the men I told him and I didn't want him to see him with her. She had kicked Bradley out of the house previously because they got into a little bit of a shoving match in the front yard one time. So detectives bringing Bradley Rodriguez for an interview. And initially they don't tell him that Tanya is deceased. We're talking to you about, I guess it would be your ex girlfriend, Tanya. Why? Why? What, how long were you guys involved? Us for a whole year. So did you guys, were you dating dating or? I thought we were dating, but how she was saying it, I was just a side piece. They were just a side piece while she was? At first, yeah. Tanya apparently tells Bradley, she's pregnant. And at least for Bradley, everything changes. The baby was yours or? She's saying it was, because she wasn't with nobody but me in that no matter what. I wanted to go to doctor's appointments with this, do that with her. And she kept being me running around. So you were trying to be involved? Yeah, I'm trying to be involved because if she's my kid, I wouldn't need it. During the interview, Bradley was very eager to be a father. He was looking forward to it. He was trying to do the right thing. He was paying for her doctor visits and still paying for Tanya's cell phone. He was actually buying baby clothes and putting them in a bag and keeping them to give to Tanya whether they got back together or not. He still wanted to be in the child's life. Do you know anybody who would want to hurt, did you like Tanya? No. She got along with everybody or she had bad attitude? She got along with people. How would you describe her? To me, I see her as a good person. As she was cool, she was sweet, she'd take care of her kid. She'd do everything she had to do for her kid. Now as hard as it is, police have to break the terrible news to him. The reason we called you in here is because we found Tanya today. And she's deceased. What? Tanya is deceased. What do you mean? She's dead. How does she die? Well, we're still investigating right now. Okay. What do you mean she's dead? And she is no longer alive. Reli to me right now. I wouldn't, Brad, I wouldn't have you. We wouldn't talk about that. Go on, please, please, please. Brad's reaction to the news of her being deceased was pretty authentic and upset. It was clear that he definitely still had feelings for her. And especially for the child. It's obvious that you cared about her and your child, right? So Brad, I know this is upsetting, but we have to ask you some questions, okay? And this is the time to be completely honest about everything. When you were getting to an argument with Tanya, did it ever get physical? No, I would leave. Maybe if you had an argument like that at her house, would her mom have seen that? Yes! Can you push her? Yes. Okay. Was that the reason you left? Yes, the reason I left. Did mom ask you to leave or did you leave on your own? I was leaving anyway. She told me to don't go back. Well, totally omitted, the fact that you put your hands on her, which I asked you to please just be honest. She told me and I took her off. And if that's all that happened, why would you honest it off? Why would she honest about it? I didn't put my hands on her. I just, you know, shoved her off and, you know, back away. I'm getting in my car and I'm leaving. That's a serious problem. You didn't touch her and then suddenly you have touched her. You have put your hands on her because you guys got into an argument. You were voluntarily from her mom's house and then 30 minutes later, your mom asked to leave. As I was leaving, her mom said don't come back. Is there anything you're you're not telling us because you want your self control. I'm not boss. Tell you everything I know Because the way this works The more we investigate we start uncovering things and don't match up It makes you look suspicious. I understand. Okay. As the interview went on Yes, we we still consider Bradley to be a suspect due to them having a relationship and where they were they would get in all Applications, okay, would you mind giving us a DNA sense? No, I don't mind. Do you will? Yes, I'll give you a DNA sense Okay, and I really thought for the first couple of days I thought Bradley was was gonna be the guy but we had too many other people to still interview because it had Come out that Tanya had a relationship with another male named Mark Burke and We had to track him down and get his timeline his alibi and his his interview completed I'm not here to do anything with any of your warrants or case like that. Okay. I'm here to talk to you about You were in a relationship letter. Yeah, how long you guys in a relationship? Did you guys live together? Yeah, but she didn't stay with me for a whole team. Yeah, it was actually up. Yeah, I split up What just went on Do you remember I came back from Jersey? She was talking to somebody else, but she was already actually like Stayed over there for somebody else. Do you know who that was? Some dude named Bradley So at first it seems like all roads lead back to Bradley, but then Mark drops another name into the mix So you know she was pregnant. Yeah Good. She said the father was she said that it couldn't be between me It's some other dude named Jose or something like that. That's what she told you between you and Jose. Yeah You never met Jose. He was like a little I want to say like a bigger chubby year. Don't do whatever. I didn't know who he was Do you have a facial hair or anything like that? Do you remember? Maybe you got a little mustard I just remember he was a little bit more happy, said, "Definitely" Well, I have a little more happy, said to be a dude. Yeah, I'm a dude. Okay, it's my crib. So he actually came to your house looking for her. Yeah If you're willing to let us get a DNA sample for the paternity suit on the kid We'll do that, okay? Yeah Police get Mark Berks DNA and then they let them go for now then they turn their attention to this new guy Jose He was eventually brought in and simply interviewed at a point in time where the investigators are just trying to figure out what role if any He had in this Did you know a Tanya? Yeah, Bradley's girl. Yeah, did you ever keep in touch with Tanya? No, yeah, but anytime we talk with when her son came over our house because I have a nine-year-old And she used to drop him off and you guys stay what else for the weekend? That was the only So you would watch her kid sometimes? Yeah, because he come hang out with my son. He may wear her son's name. Um, Jermore I did know him. I was friends with his son for a little bit and I'd go to his house sometimes and hang out with him How would you describe Tanya? Like if you had to describe it to somebody like personality-wise who she is that what would you see? She was pretty Metal I could say but kind of crazy. I don't know talking ghetto. I get old talk Did she use to strip that's what it was a strip or something? I never saw her so I don't you know, I just can move out with people saying Where did you know where she used to strip? How long have you been married? You get this right so my wife won't kill me In the interview room he came in nonchalant. He was very calm collected denied any involvement whatsoever When was the last time you think you talked to Tanya? What's Wednesday? I spoke to her Wednesday and Thursday. What time she speaks her out of Thursday? Wednesday was after eight after eight. Yeah, I was home having dinner and when she called you Thursday Around eight at home when you're having dinner what she's saying. She said cuz Jermore wants to come over I said all right cool cool. That's fine. That was it. It was facts. I wasn't even on the phone where I'm not even five three and five minutes I want to say What time does she get there with Jermore? She never showed up. She never showed up. No, she never did So what were you doing Thursday? I fixed I went to Fixed a friend's battery and was loose or something like that on his car His wife said he had originally gone out to a friend's house and then she also said that she believed he was in the garage And that he didn't leave and we were getting conflicting stories of where he was Well, it's about to get real. Okay, cuz I'm gonna tell you why we brought you in Because Tanya's dead What because Tanya is dead we found her deceased Friday Wow And we've been interviewing everybody that has contact with her and so we're Trying to iron out everybody stories Because there are a lot of things flying around people saying stuff about other people and It's always like that. That's crazy. That's crazy. Wow Bradley's reaction would seem genuinely distraught Posey's reaction seemed a little canned. I believe you just said. Oh, wow. That's crazy Have you ever been with her We had sex with her And a god There we go. I'm good. Y'all can ask me like I say y'all can ask me whatever Where are y'all need? I'm here. So there would be no reason to find your DNA Okay, right and you said you were willing to give the sample of your DNA. Yeah Now she was pregnant Okay, okay, and we're gonna take DNA from the child who's also deceased Posey actually volunteered for DNA swab of his Person and his vehicle I mean, there's I'm not gonna be coming back to you in Six weeks when I get the results back saying hey Why what's up with the good you never had sex with her. I'm straight Did you ever have sex with her? No The detectives actually they they asked him in his interview had you ever had sexual relations with Tanya Is there any way that you could be the father of her child had you ever been with her and he 100% denied that So who is the father of Tanya's baby Bradley Rodriguez Mark Burke or Jose Escalera and Then of course the paternity tests comes back and the DNA results identified. Yes, you are the father. It felt like a Mori Povitch show I can talk to you. I don't care. Let's let's start with the beginning truth Yes, I lied to you the first time I came here I think I did that we think I didn't do that. I have not I swear to God I have nothing to do with that Only thing I lied to you when you when you asked me if I had sex with you. Yes, I lied to you Do you want me to say that she then police got to the chase? That's your baby. What's my baby? That's your baby. That's your child 100% DNA positive that is your child. Wow She never told me that She never told me that we assume that was Bradley's kid After his steadfast denial that he has had sexual relations and that any child could not have been his When the DNA comes back and demonstrates that the baby is his You know now he's a liar and Possibly with a motive Kill your own child. I didn't kill you own baby. I wouldn't do that. I have kids. Why would I want to hurt one of my kids? Why would I do that? And I'm telling you I did not do that As we started picking through his timeline and his story of events It did not add up and it looked like he was more and more our suspect So a search warrant was written for Jose's truck and they went through the vehicle and they sprayed it with luminal and on the floor board on the driver's side it tested positive for blood So they removed the carpet and they swabbed it for DNA and set that off to be tested and it came back positive for Tonya wise And then it seems someone may have seen this truck at the exact intersection where Tonya's body was found I want you to try to go back and give me as much detail as possible. Yeah, so you told me like last night you were on your way home from work. So you coming, you're coming southbound on Johnston, you go to make a left on to Rousseau. Yes. You told me you saw a vehicle but at what point did you see that vehicle? As soon as I turned on to the road, a truck popped its lights on. It was just a hearing feeling. I was like, "What are these people doing?" Like, why are they here? To where it made me stop because I was looking in the rear view and they stopped at the stop sign and so I looked back and I hit my brake lights and as soon as they hit my brake lights, they went. They believed it was like a dodge or a forward truck and that's what he drove is a dark colored dodge. We had to write a search warrant to get his tower data to see where his phone was. When that came back, I believe the closest tower was up there next to where the body was found and it basically placed him within I want to say 30 yards of where she was found on that night. When he said he was in Port St. Lucie, which is like 25 miles away. We had video evidence that corroborated the cell phone data, meaning that we had several home surveillance cameras that showed him in the area of picking up, taunia-wise before he brought her to the rural location where he murdered her. And Jose has another interesting connection to that remote spot. It seems as a waste probe driver for one of the collection trucks for Garbage and Waste and St. Lucie County. And his route was, I believe it was two days a week, he traveled that north and corridor of Fort Pierce where she was found. Every single piece of evidence that we were able to come up with or that we looked into all pointed to Jose Soto-Escalar being the only person involved in this. We arrested him on two counts of homicide. You're going to jail for murder and taunia and you're going to jail for murder and you baby. No, there's no way. I didn't do that boss. I didn't do that. I have nothing to do with that. He's just an incredible, incredible wire. And I wonder if he's somebody who simply believes his own lies. So Jose remains in jail for a few years before the case heads to trial and that's partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to allow both sides to prepare for trial. But the prosecution has a clear advantage here. The defense attorneys had a difficult job here. Given the overwhelming nature of the evidence in this case, you know, they didn't have a whole lot to go on. I heard one of the prosecutors saying we regarded it as a slam dunk case and so they should have. So it was. But the prosecution has one more piece of evidence that changes the game. So I want to tell you about something really big happening here at Longcrime. If you haven't checked it out yet, we have the Longcrime Plus app. And this is where you can stream your favorite Longcrime and Core TV shows completely commercial free. And now Longcrime Plus subscribers, they can watch new episodes of Prime Prime a week early before they premiere on YouTube. And right now, we've got a special offer with my promo code Primefall. You get your first three months of Longcrime Plus for just $299 a month. That is 50% off the regular monthly price. So with that in mind, subscribe today. This is Jose Escalera talking to his work partner and nephew, Eric Alvarado in the trash truck that they operate. And unbelievably, Jose is describing his plan to kill Tanya Wise. And you know what's even crazier still? This truck is chock full of surveillance cameras. He absolutely knew that these video cameras were in place and he still he still planned out this murder while he was being recorded. It's it's absolutely remarkable. He was afraid that his wife would find out about the baby and his marriage would be ended and he would lose his job. There's not a lot of cases that you get to listen to the defendant plan out his crime. I mean, he he is just so calm. It was like he was planning on a vacation or he was going to the grocery store or he was working on a project in his garage. It was just like nothing to him that he could take someone's life and plan that and think that he could get away with it and just be that calm. I'm usually in a premeditated murder case. You're dealing with seconds of premeditation. Here we had days and it showed his his level of contempt that he had had for the victim and his clear plan to murder her. He was so confident that nobody really cares about her disappearance and they're not even going to be worried about looking for her. The day after she was murdered, Eric asked him if he had blood on him. Jose is already in jail when his wife gets wind of those trash truck videos and she confronts him in this phone call. Hello, this is a two-page call from this. This call is from a correction facility and it's subject to monitoring and recording. She was able to hear those and that was obviously the first time she really believed that he was capable of doing it. But she stayed married to him for almost the entire pendency of the case. Like on the eve of trial, she divorced him. For the prosecution, the trash truck videos are a rare gift but for the defense, not so much. Separate and apart from that, we have a very strong, you know, good, tryable guilt-faced case. But when that's added into the mix, I mean, I don't even think they need anything else. My focus was primarily on how the defense was going to come up with some creative ideas for how to exclude some of that evidence or question the reliability and credibility of the evidence because it was pretty strong for the prosecution. It's almost exactly seven years since Tonya's killing before Jose Escalero's trial begins. I was there for everything. All these years, seven years. It took a while. I guess they were trying to get everything they needed so that when they took catch them, they had all their basics go up, all their corner scorer, everything they needed. I have to do it, Eric. I have no other choice. I'm going to lose everything. If my wife finds out something like that, oh my god, bro, I'm going to lose everything. Bro, I have a spot. I have a spot. I have to find a spot where I'm going to dump her. I'll throw away all the clothes or I'll burn them or I'll wash them with Clorex. Those are the words for the defendant in this case on the August 21st, 2018. The evidence will show you that he had a problem. He had a big problem and he needed to find a way to get rid of it. He had no other choice in his eyes. And that problem that he had was the victim in this case. Tony was. Unfortunately, the profession that Ms. Wise was in, a dancer, and an escort, brought her into contact with many unsavory characters. It was in this fraught situation that her untimely demise occurred. And I have no doubt that at the close of the evidence, you'll have no other alternative. But to find my client, not guilty. She worked as a dancer and part of what the defense did was kind of highlight her involvement in the dance industry and her involvement with unsavory characters and the number of men she may have been dating and seeing at the time. Now, the prosecution counters that narrative with some very strong witnesses, including Tonya's mom. Did you know a female by the name of Tonya Wise? Yes, she's my daughter. OK, she's your daughter. OK. I want you to go ahead and describe Tonya for us. She was 23. OK. And did she have children? Yes. At home, she had an eight-year-old jamar, and she was pregnant. I would like my daughter to be remembered for who she was. She's a beautiful, funny-- lovable, caring person who loved her son, who loved hugging him, spending time with him. She's a good mother. And I want her to be remembered like that. I think Tonya's mom brought a bit of humanity to it and to who Tonya was. Of course, the defense was highlighting the negatives about her. But even though her mom acknowledged that what you saw was that she had a family, a family that she was involved with, she had a child already. Conversely, the prosecution puts Jose's character on display. And Detective Newman shows some clips from his interrogation. [VIDEO PLAYBACK] Did you have any kind of feelings with her outside or just friendship? I think what the jury took away from that is that he was a confident and practiced liar. He not only denied having a relationship with Tonya, but he also stated that there was no way that he could be the father of her child. I think at one point he said, you know, hand to God, that it was not him. And then, of course, the paternity test comes back and the DNA results identified, yes, you are the father. Anytime that we can show that a criminal defendant is lying and we can conclusively prove that lie, that's just as good as a confession, because it's so powerful and people understand who they're dealing with. When the medical examiner testifies, it is just awful. I don't want to turn your attention to the baby, just eye-on-wise. What are we looking at here? There's a fetus and your full-time fetus. Based on your autopsy, as well as your review of Ms. Wise's medical records, is there any indication that this was anything other than a healthy baby boy? No. This was a healthy baby boy. Yes, OK. Did the baby live after Ms. Wise died? Or did they die at the same time? Can you provide some detail on that issue? At this gestational age, any infant or fetus inside the womb is dependent on the mother's blood blow for nutrients in oxygen. When the mother has died, that blood flow stops. So the infant doesn't die instantaneously, but as it's depleted from oxygen and blood flow, it would die after she died in a matter of minutes. State has rested its case any motions from the defense. There will no useful defense witnesses for us. You do not want sending witnesses that are just not going to be believable. But if it sounds like the defense is given up, in their closing argument, they have a trick up their sleeves. It definitely caught me off guard, and I was surprised by that argument. 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So you never run out of stock. And when it comes time for accounting, that's also fully automated. ODO can create invoices, track expenses, and even summarize data with AI to save you hundreds of hours. You know what the best part is? You can choose your apps and even build custom workflows. So it's all fully tailored to your business's needs. Take your business to the next level by consulting with an ODO expert today for free at odo.com/proncrime. Let's talk about the evidence that we heard over the last four days and why you should have very real doubts about the state's case. So this guy, who allegedly meticulously plans a murder, gets blood everywhere, and hasn't had time to clean out his truck. He immediately gives consent to search his truck. He tells him, yeah, you can search my truck. You can search my phone. You can have my DNA. Because he knows he didn't murder Tanya. And what he later learns is they're unborn child. But he knows who did. His wife, Deborah, Soto, Escalera. Oh, we expected it would be a moment. And I think on some of the video, you can see that the state is shocked probably the most about it. I don't think that they anticipated that. There's a point where my head's down. And she makes the statement in reference to his wife possibly being the murder. And I put my head up because I was shocked that that was what the argument was in closing arguments, especially when there was really no talk of that the entire trial. Deborah, new Tanya. She got a taken Jose's phone and lured her out to talk. Then hit her in the head and did a close-up killing, a deeply personal type of killing. This was a knifeing to the throat. Tanya was only in that ditch because Deborah couldn't lift her body that far. He eliminated a romantic rival and saved her marriage. Right, exactly. So she killed two birds, literally. And that was the defense. Some arguments call for more of your imagination than others. You should have doubts about the government's case. Those doubts are imminently reasonable. And you should find Jose not guilty. Thank you. Dude, it was a creative argument, but I'm not a successful one. The jury deliberates for less than an hour before coming back with their verdict. Has the jury reached the verdict? We the jury find Jose subtle escolarum as to count one. It's one of the faster ones in a case of this magnitude, yes. I think it was not a surprise that the jury came back so quickly, and it really goes back to what was the evidence that was presented by the prosecution. Because this is a capital murder case, the trial now goes into the penalty phase. We knew we had a really, really big uphill battle to try to save Jose's life because solely by virtue of the fact of the fetus. Right, how could you be more innocent? But the defense team soon finds themselves in an even worse position. We had a lot of witnesses lined up to go in the penalty phase, and as they're watching, they're contacting me and saying, I'm not coming in. People are going to see me testify for this murderer. They're going to harass my kids in school. Three quarters of the witnesses dropped out. When it's time for the victim impact statements, Tanya's mom and son deliver yet another blow to the defense. Daniel was lovable caring at the board of mother. She had a beautiful soul, and was always. willing to help and take over family. She enjoyed being a mother more than anything in the world. She had so many dreams for Jamar and Josiah, dreams of raising them, guiding them, creating happy life together. Those dreams were stolen from her. I was in the courtroom for the last little bit. I gave an impact statement. It was definitely hard. I was nervous going up to doing it. I'd step out a little bit before and a little bit after. My mother was the closest person to me and she was like my best friend. On that day I've lost my point in the mother. I also lost the chance to have my mother watch me grow and I hope that she'd proud of me for coming here and talking about how this has affected me. I choose to honor my mother because she was one of the most, if not the most important, people who has been in my life. There could not be anything more emotional to put in front of a jury to pull on their heartstrings than you know her own son saying my mom's not here. She's missing all these parts of my life and all of these experiences that I'm having then closing arguments begin. To be clear, you are confronted with not one death sentence but two. Right? Two death sentences are on the table, one per count. Count one deals with the murder of Tanya. Count two with the murder of Josiah. Ladies and gentlemen, this defendant deserves not one, but two death sentences. Extreme facts call for extreme sentence. That's what I'm asking you to impose today. Tanya Wise, Josiah Wise, murdered by Jose, who is my client, that I am not going to quarrel with the fact that this was a coldly and calculatedly and premeditatedly done at. I don't dispute that. So what does that mean for you? But you were asked last week to convict a man because he thought about doing a killing beforehand and did it. What are you being asked to do? He gave his open for you to kill. And I recommended humility. I recommend you don't go down that path. To rot and die in prison is not merciful. It is a horrible, horrible sentence. Do that to him. They weighed heavily on the conscience of the jurors in this particular case, essentially making an argument that they would be committing murder themselves if they voted for the death penalty. The jury comes back quickly again after just two hours. I got to be there when he was sentenced. And we were told about how it's going to happen, like how long to expect to happen. It was a lot. What do we call justice? I don't have my daughter, and I don't have my grandson. But it is, I guess, he needs to pay for what he did. And that's where I want him to be. The moment that I don't think I'll ever forget was when the death verdict was announced. And I remember looking over at Soto Escalara and he just seemed to have this look on his face as if he couldn't believe it. I think that he was genuinely surprised, despite all the evidence to the contrary, which surprised me. It was a long and grueling representation. And to come from our perspective, to come so close, you know, one more juror was all we needed to have saved his life. When he received the death penalty for both counts, I was relieved and I was happy for Tanya's family and her mother to get some closure. The public, I think, can breathe easier knowing that Jose Soto Escalara is in state prison and will never get out. The crime showed that he was a cold, calculating killer. He is right where he is and right where he belongs. So many innocent lives were impacted by one man who was afraid to lose his wife and income. And yet in the end, not only did he lose those things, but he's going to lose his life too. But for Tanya's mom and son, her memory is still very much alive. I hope that wherever she's at, she can hear us, because we love her. We love her very much. Her and Jose.

Podcast Summary

Key Points:

  1. Tanya Wise, a 23-year-old pregnant woman, was found murdered in a rural ditch near the intersection of Russo and Johnston Road with severe neck lacerations and signs of being struck from behind.
  2. Her body was discovered by a driver who mistook it for a pile of garbage, leading to a swift police response and the initiation of a full investigation.
  3. Initial suspect Bradley Rodriguez, her boyfriend, was questioned but denied involvement and later tested positive for paternity of her unborn child, though he initially claimed no sexual relationship with her.
  4. Mark Burke, another former partner, provided conflicting details and was later excluded as a suspect after timelines and alibis were reviewed.
  5. Jose Escalera was identified as the primary suspect through DNA found in his truck, cell phone location data, and surveillance footage showing him at the scene.
  6. Jose confessed to a premeditated plan to kill Tanya, detailing how he intended to dispose of her body and hide evidence, including washing clothes or burning them, while being fully aware of the cameras recording the act.
  7. The prosecution’s case was strengthened by DNA evidence, video recordings, and the victim’s pregnancy, while the defense argued Tanya’s past as a dancer exposed her to dangerous men and questioned her character.
  8. The jury quickly convicted Jose on both counts of murder and found him guilty of capital punishment, despite the defense’s emotional arguments, due to the overwhelming premeditated, detailed, and recorded plan of the crime.

Summary:

Tanya Wise, a 23-year-old mother-to-be, was found murdered in a rural ditch in St. Lucie County, where she had been struck from behind and killed with deep neck lacerations. The discovery was made by a driver who initially mistook the body for garbage.

Despite initial suspicion of her boyfriend Bradley Rodriguez, DNA evidence revealed he was the biological father of her unborn child, despite his denials. A second suspect, Mark Burke, was ruled out through alibi checks. The real lead came from Jose Escalera, whose truck contained traces of Tanya’s DNA and whose cell phone data placed him at the scene.

Surveillance footage showed him planning the murder in detail, including how to dispose of the body, while fully aware of being recorded. He admitted to the plan during a conversation with his nephew, and the prosecution’s case, bolstered by DNA and video evidence, led to a swift conviction. The defense argued Tanya’s past as a dancer exposed her to risk and questioned her character, but the jury rejected this, focusing on the cold, premeditated nature of the crime.

Jose was convicted of both first-degree murder counts—Tanya’s death and the death of her unborn son—and sentenced to death. The trial was emotionally charged, with Tanya’s mother and son delivering powerful victim impact statements. Despite the defense’s attempts to argue for leniency, including claims of marital strife and a wife’s potential involvement, the jury unanimously found Jose guilty, and the death sentence was imposed.

The case exemplifies how detailed planning, forensic evidence, and digital surveillance can lead to a strong conviction, while also highlighting the profound grief and trauma endured by the victim’s family.

FAQs

The victim was Tanya Wise, a 23-year-old woman who was eight and a half months pregnant.

She was identified through fingerprint analysis collected from the crime scene.

She had two deep, large lacerations on her neck that traveled from left to right, nearly decapitating her. Her head was barely attached, and she had been struck from behind on the head.

Bradley Rodriguez, her boyfriend, was initially considered a suspect due to their relationship and past arguments, though he denied having sexual relations with her.

Jose Escalera was identified as the perpetrator through DNA evidence, surveillance footage, and a detailed plan he made while being recorded in his trash truck.

Blood was found on the driver’s side floorboard of his truck, and DNA testing confirmed it matched Tanya Wise’s. Cell tower data and surveillance footage placed him near the location of the body on the night of the murder.

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