The man
convicted of the 1999 killing of 3-year-old Pilar Rodriguez was sentenced to life in prison Monday morning by a Charlotte County judge.
Judge George Richards first heard a motion from the defense for acquittal but denied the motion.
Pilar's father spoke mainly through the state attorney, who read a prepared statement about Marco Rodriguez's life since the loss of his daughter, whose
body hasn't been found. Rodriguez said he doesn't sleep, overwhelmed with grief over the loss.
Rodriguez asked the prosecutor if he could speak directly to his daughter's killer, Keith Wilson. When he was told only to address the court, Rodriguez said, "I want to ask him, where's my baby?" It was the only statement Rodriguez gave while sworn in by the court.
"It'll never be full conclusion until the body is found," said Assistant State Attorney Dan Feinberg. "But the judicial portion of the case is closed but for the appeals."
Wilson's family spoke on his behalf, telling the judge that he isn't the monster described during the trial.
"He's nothing like they've made him out to be," said Debbie Wilson, who's known Keith since he was a child. "I'm upset he's in jail for something he didn't do."
In the end, the judge said the little girl lived a hard life with an absent mother and a father who struggled to financially support her. He said Wilson made it even worse by eventually
torturing her to death, leading him to determine a sentence of life in prison was appropriate.
Melissa Harding-Jones, the child's babysitter, and Wilson's former girlfriend, took a plea deal in the case for her role in hiding the crime. She's scheduled for sentencing Jan. 18 and faces 30 years in prison.