A high profile Punta Gorda murder trial is set to wrap up this week, possibly as early as today. Keith Wilson took the stand in his own defense yesterday, accused in the 1999 murder of 3-year old Pilar Rodriguez, whose body was never found. Wilson was arrested in 2013 in Kentucky after new evidence implicated him in the girl’s death. Wilson -who was dating the girl’s babysitter at the time- testified yesterday that he last saw the toddler inside a Punta Gorda apartment on February 1st, but the girl was gone the next day. The babysitter, Melissa Harding-Jones, was arrested and accused of being an accessory to the murder. She testified earlier in the trial that Wilson told her he put the girl’s body in a garbage bag and buried it. She admitted that she lied to police about what happened to the girl and that she’s hoping for a lighter sentence in exchange for her testimony. Closing arguments are scheduled to begin Wednesday.
