Mom of twins who died in a hot car calls their deaths ‘my worst nightmare’

The mother whose one-year-old twins died in a hot car has vowed to stand by her husband after he was charged with manslaughter in the horrific accident.  

‘I will never get over this loss and I know he will never forgive himself for this mistake,’ Marissa Rodriguez said in a statement to NBC News on Sunday. 

The heartbroken mom’s daughter and son, Luna and Phoenix, were found dead in the family’s car on Friday after Juan Rodriguez forgot to drop the babies off at daycare before going in for an eight-hour shift at a veterans hospital in The Bronx.  

The father, a social worker and Iraq War veteran, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of manslaughter and two counts of criminally negligent homicide.  

‘This was a horrific accident, and I need him by my side to go through this together,’ Marissa Rodriguez said. 

‘Though I am hurting more than I ever imagined possible, I still love my husband. He is a good person and great father and I know he would’ve never done anything to hurt our children intentionally.’

She has asked for privacy so the couple could ‘grieve, be strong, and be present for our other children’. 

 

Marissa Rodriguez, whose one-year-old twins died after being left in a sweltering car for eight hours on Friday, has vowed to stand by her husband Juan as he faces manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide charges in the horror accident she called ‘my worst nightmare’

'I will never get over this loss and I know he will never forgive himself for this mistake,' Marissa Rodriguez said in a statement on Sunday. She is pictured with Juan and the couple's three older children after the twins, Luna and Phoenix, were born

‘I will never get over this loss and I know he will never forgive himself for this mistake,’ Marissa Rodriguez said in a statement on Sunday. She is pictured with Juan and the couple’s three older children after the twins, Luna and Phoenix, were born 

Rodriguez wailed in agony in court on Saturday as prosecutors detailed how the twins' bodies each reached a temperature of 108 degrees Fahrenheit after eight hours in the intense heat

Rodriguez wailed in agony in court on Saturday as prosecutors detailed how the twins’ bodies each reached a temperature of 108 degrees Fahrenheit after eight hours in the intense heat

The father wept in his wife's arms outside Bronx Criminal Court after posting $100,000 bond

The father wept in his wife’s arms outside Bronx Criminal Court after posting $100,000 bond

Rodriguez reportedly forgot to drop the twins, son Phoenix and daughter Luna (pictured), off at daycare on Friday morning, leaving them to swelter in the back of his Honda Accord

Rodriguez reportedly forgot to drop the twins, son Phoenix and daughter Luna (pictured), off at daycare on Friday morning, leaving them to swelter in the back of his Honda Accord

Juan Rodriguez collapsed into his wife’s arms and wept outside Bronx Criminal Court after posting $100,000 bond on Saturday.  

He allegedly left his children to swelter in the back of his Honda Accord for eight hours while he was working at the James J Peters VA Medical Center and temperatures outside climbed to nearly 90 degrees in New York City.  

The father returned to his car just before 4pm and was driving for about 10 minutes before he realized the babies were in the backseat ‘foaming at the mouth’. 

After making the tragic discovery, he burst into screams which attracted the attention of a bystander who quickly called 911. 

‘I assumed I dropped them off at day care before I went to work,’ he reportedly told cops who arrived at the scene. 

‘I blanked out! I My babies are dead! I killed my babies!’

Marissa Rodriguez is seen sobbing outside Bronx Criminal Court on Saturday as her husband's lawyer, Joey Jackson, defended his client to the press

Marissa Rodriguez is seen sobbing outside Bronx Criminal Court on Saturday as her husband’s lawyer, Joey Jackson, defended his client to the press 

Meanwhile, shocked neighbors have described Rodriguez as a devoted father. 

In addition to the three children he shared with wife Marissa, he has two older children from a previous marriage. 

‘He was always doing things with the kids,’ a neighbor told The New York Post. 

‘Always in the yard playing. They had a big camp-out last weekend, with tents in the backyard. He would always play catch or basketball with his older kid.’

A family friend similarly told The New York Post that Rodriguez is ‘an amazing guy’.

‘He’s always been there for his kids. Always. This is just a horrible situation,’ the pal said. 

Facebook photos show Rodriguez as a devoted family man who was frequently pictured doting on the twins. 

Shocked neighbors described Rodriguez as a devoted father. He is seen doting on the twins

Shocked neighbors described Rodriguez as a devoted father. He is seen doting on the twins

'Though I am hurting more than I ever imagined possible, I still love my husband,' Marissa Rodriguez said. 'He is a good person and great father and I know he would've never done anything to hurt our children intentionally.' The couple are pictured together last year

‘Though I am hurting more than I ever imagined possible, I still love my husband,’ Marissa Rodriguez said. ‘He is a good person and great father and I know he would’ve never done anything to hurt our children intentionally.’ The couple are pictured together last year

The father parked his Honda Accord (pictured) outside the James J Peters VA Medical Center and went inside for work shortly after 8am Friday, forgetting the twins were in the backseat

The father parked his Honda Accord (pictured) outside the James J Peters VA Medical Center and went inside for work shortly after 8am Friday, forgetting the twins were in the backseat 

Some 50 relatives turned out to support a devastated Rodriguez during his first court appearance on Saturday. 

The father was clad in a turquoise T-shirt and jeans – the same outfit he wore to work on Friday.  

Rodriguez wailed in agony as prosecutors detailed how the twins’ bodies each reached a temperature of 108 degrees Fahrenheit.  

‘This is a tragedy of horrific proportions,’ Rodriguez’s defense attorney Joey Jackson told the judge as his client sobbed beside him. 

The lawyer later held a press conference with Rodriguez’s wife, Marissa, who brought along the couple’s four-year-old child to the hearing. 

‘He was inconsolable, and he is still trying to come to terms with the horrific nature of this crime,’ Jackson said, according to The New York Daily News. 

Rodriguez’s mother was one of the family members who turned out to the hearing -and was clearly anguished by the loss of her two grandchildren.    

Waiting for court proceedings to commence, she repeatedly cried: ‘My grandbabies!’ in Spanish. 

She later told The New York Post she feared for her son’s mental state. 

‘Do you know what I’m scared of? When he gets out, he can’t handle it. He’s going to need help.’

Jackson said Rodriguez served as a soldier in Iraq and worked to support fellow veterans at the medical center where he was employed as a social worker. 

His clients include homeless, disabled, and HIV positive veterans, according to his lawyer.    

Rodriguez, a social worker and Iraq War veteran, pleaded not guilty to two counts of manslaughter and two counts of criminally negligent homicide

Rodriguez, a social worker and Iraq War veteran, pleaded not guilty to two counts of manslaughter and two counts of criminally negligent homicide

Some 50 relatives turned out to support a devastated Rodriguez during his first court appearance on Saturday

Around 50 relatives turned out to support Rodriguez in court on Saturday

Some 50 relatives turned out to support Rodriguez during his first court appearance on Saturday. The visibly-devastated father wore the same outfit he was seen in the day before 

In addition to the three children Rodriguez shared with wife Marissa, he has two older children from a previous marriage

In addition to the three children Rodriguez shared with wife Marissa, he has two older children from a previous marriage

Rodriguez is pictured with his wife and their twins Luna and Phoenix in a recent family photo

Rodriguez is pictured with his wife and their twins Luna and Phoenix in a recent family photo

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