A Pennsylvania man who shot his girlfriend and then sent a video of her death to a friend will spend the rest of his life in prison.
A jury convicted Miguel A. Rodriguez, 40, of first-degree murder in the death of Nemesis Florentino, 33, whom he shot on Sept. 11, 2022. According to the Lancaster County District Attorney, after the murder, he called a friend and sent him a video of Florentino’s lifeless body.
When East Hempfield Township Police arrived on the scene, Rodriguez barricaded himself inside his home, where Florentino lay dead. During a nearly five-hour standoff with cops, he fired “more than 100 rounds” at them, “preventing first responders from potentially saving the victim’s life.”
The judge instructed Rodriguez, “Society needs to be protected from you.”
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained at the time by WGAL, a local NBC affiliate, Rodriguez told a friend via video call that he had killed Florentino in his home. He then used his phone’s camera to show his friend Florentino’s body. Following the call, the friend immediately contacted the police.
Rodriguez then left a voicemail for the same friend, saying, “Hi, I love you. Forgive me for what I have done. I am not turning myself in to the police, and the police are present. Bye. Take care of my children and all.”
Police and a Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) arrived at the scene around 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2022, and engaged in a nearly five-hour standoff. When Rodriguez opened his front door and pointed his rifle at police, a SERT member shot him in the shoulder.
He then surrendered to police at around 6:30 a.m. and was taken into custody while being treated at a nearby hospital.
Prosecutors described Rodriguez’s crime as “particularly heinous” and a “assault on decency.” Assistant District Attorney Kyle Linardo told the court that the video chat “speaks to a level of despicableness” for which there is no legal recourse.
Judge Craig Stedman sentenced Rodriguez to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 41 1/2 to 85 years.
Rodriguez was convicted in February of first-degree murder, two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm, five counts of aggravated assault, four counts of recklessly endangering another person, and three counts of obstruction of the administration of justice.
When given the opportunity to speak after his sentencing, Rodriguez stated that he was “very remorseful for what happened” and was “blinded” by drugs at the time of the offense. He sought forgiveness from Florentino’s family.
