METAIRIE, La. (WGNO) —On March 24, 2022, a Jefferson Parish jury found a man to be guilty of an incident that happened back in 2014.
51-year-old Pedro Monterroso is guilty and charged with the second-degree murder of his girlfriend, 24-year-old Heidy Monroy.
The crime occurred in the early morning hours of July 13, 2014, in the apartment they shared in the 4000 block of Durand Street.
According to reports from the Jefferson Parish District Attorney, Monterroso argued with Monroy over whether she was involved with another man.
The fight turned physical, and he fatally beat and stabbed her as she lay in a bathtub.
She died from blunt-force injuries to her head, and her hands had injuries indicative of defensive wounds.
After killing her, he rounded up three of his five children that were in the apartment and fled to Texas.
The youngest of the three was a son he had with Monroy, a child who was whisked away wearing only a diaper, according to testimony. Monterroso fathered the other two children with Monroy’s sister.
Monterroso left behind in the apartment his two sons whom he fathered with Monroy. The boys found their mother’s nude body in the tub and sought help from a neighbor.
The neighbor notified the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, according to trial evidence.
Monterroso was arrested the following day in Katy, Texas, and later extradited to Jefferson Parish to face charges.
In the apartment, investigators found a length of rebar wrapped in duct tape. Monterroso’s DNA was recovered from one end of the bar. Monroy’s hair and blood were found on the other end, according to testimony.
During the three-day trial, jurors heard testimony showing that Monterroso was physically abusive to Monroy, her sister, and his children.
The abuse included him hanging them upside-down using chains while they lived in Central America.
Judge Donald “Chick” Foret of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Monterroso on May 4.
