YEYDILYSS ACEVEDO - 17 yo - Sharon Hill PA

Maribel Rodriguez was sentenced Tuesday to three to six years in jail
in the stabbing death of her 17-year-old daughter, in a case in which a
military colleague of the defendant’s husband called a “Greek tragedy.”

Rodriguez,
40, of the 1200 block of Woodland Avenue, Sharon Hill, was convicted in
September of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault in the
Feb. 28 stabbing death of her daughter, Yeydilyss Acevedo.

The
case was one in which the defense contended it was an accidental
stabbing and the prosecution charged it was a crime committed with
malice against the teenager for coming home late.

During
Tuesday’s emotional hearing, the defendant’s five children, including
the youngest who is 8, begged Judge Chad Kenney to allow their mother
to come home. The little girl, her long, dark hair flowing, told the
judge how she missed and loved her mother who hadn’t been home for
“family game night.”

“We want her home with us,” the child said. Before the youngster took her seat, she looked over and smiled at her mother.

It
probably was the last place any of the children, some of whom wiped
tears away or sat with their head bowed, wanted to see their mother.
Rodriguez, 40, stood in court handcuffed and wearing a red prison suit.

Defense
Attorney Michael Malloy, outside of the courtroom described the mingled
family of the defendant and her second husband, Johnny Rodriguez, as
like the “Hispanic Brady Bunch.”

The husband lost his wife to
cancer and then met Maribel at a church social and began a relationship
in which his three sons and her three daughters — now ranging in age
from 8 to 18 formed a family.

Keysha, 18, told the court the family has suffered a loss.

“My mother has always been there and now that one of us is missing, we need each other even more,” she said.

Malloy
said that because of their mother’s love and support, none of the
children have been in any trouble. He said she has been the primary
caregiver because her husband is in the military and is often away.

The
defendant’s husband, Johnny Rodriguez, dressed in his Air Force
uniform, was accompanied by several colleagues, including Lt. Col.
Kevin Kelly. Kelly told of the trauma the family has faced likening it
to “a Greek Tragedy.”

“The family has been hit hard by this,” he said.

Johnny
Rodriguez said he’s known Maribel for a dozen years, and prior to their
marriage, she had sole responsibility for raising her three girls.

“All
I see is a mother who has love for her daughters and has been there for
them and my sons,” he said. “I ask for mercy from this court. I do not
want to diminish the seriousness, but sir, I really need her and my
children really need her.”

After listening to the pleas from the family and friends, Judge Chad Kenney asked, “Who cries for the victim?”

The
judge said if 17-year-old Yeydilyss Acevedo had been killed at the
hands of a stranger, the family would have been in court decrying the
crime and stating the victim was deprived of a prom, her marriage and
children.

He also spoke of the pain teenagers experience as they enter the rebellious stage and look to their family for support and love.

He
said that on the night of the crime, “tempers flared” after the girl
arrived home late and the teenager looked to her family for safety and
protection while going through those difficult years.

“These are
people she (the victim) trusted and loved. After all, she was the child
in the room. Imagine her horror when she was met by a knife at the
hands of her own mother,” he said.

The judge also expressed sympathy for the rest of the family, who are left without a sibling, as well as their mother.

“It
is sad. It is tragic and it is a Greek Tragedy,” said Kenney. “The
mother is a good person and she is raising her children the right way.

“I
have heard the children’s statements. They have had a significant
impact on this court,” he said concerning formulating a sentence, which
includes the jail term to be followed by three years of consecutive
probation.

Rodriguez made no comment.

Assistant District
Attorney Michael Dugan charged she has not accepted responsibility for
killing her own daughter, whose lung was punctured and she bled
internally.

Outside the courtroom, Malloy said Maribel Rodriguez “can’t talk about it. She really needs a lot of therapy.”

He said she keeps asking, “Am I responsible for my daughter’s death?”

He said each time he replies that the jury by the verdict has said she is.

“The
judge, being a parent, wrestled with this decision,” said Malloy. “He
(Kenney) talked about the complexities of raising teenage children. His
was a rollercoaster speech. This has been rollercoaster case.

“She needs a lot of counseling. She will get it at the state level (where she will be incarcerated),” he said.