USA - California. A jury recommended that Antonio Rodriguez be sentenced to death

A San Fernando jury recommended that Antonio Rodriguez, 29, latino, be sentenced to death for the sexual assault and murder of his girlfriend's 5-year-old daughter. The same jury convicted the man on July 8 of 8 counts in the Nov. 12 2004 death of Desarie Saravia, the daughter of his then-girlfriend, Debby Saravia. The counts included 1st-degree murder, sexual penetration, torture, corporal injury to a child and the abuse of both Desarie and her brother, Brian. Prosecutor Mary Sedgwick will be separately prosecuting Debby Saravia, 32, for murder in her daughter's death. Saravia also faces 2 counts of child abuse and 2 counts of corporal injury to a child. If convicted, she faces up to life in state prison. Rodriguez is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on Sept. 2.