EAST HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. (TCN) — A 40-year-old man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing his girlfriend and then shooting at police.
A judge sentenced Miguel Rodriguez to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 41 1/2 to 85 years in connection with the death of 33-year-old Nemesis Florentino, the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office announced April 14. Rodriguez will also have to pay more than $24,000 in restitution for funeral costs.
According to prosecutors, a jury previously found Rodriguez guilty in February of first-degree murder, two counts of assault of 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 law.
While handing down the sentence, Judge Craig Stedman told the defendant that he was “an extreme danger to the community,” adding, “Society needs to be protected from you.”
In the early hours of Sept. 11, 2022, Rodriguez reportedly shot Florentino in the head at his home. Following the shooting, Rodriguez “called a friend and showed them a video of the deceased victim,” which Assistant District Attorney Kyle Linardo said “speaks to a level of despicableness” that “no sentence can truly reflect.”
Three East Hempfield Township Police officers responded to the scene and tried to enter the home, but they were met with “volleys of bullets.” Rodriguez allegedly fired about 85 shots both inside and outside the house to prevent responders from entering and possibly saving his girlfriend’s life.
A standoff lasting nearly five hours ensued. Rodriguez eventually exited the home with a loaded semi-automatic rifle and aimed it at police. An officer reportedly shot him in the arm, but District Attorney Heather Adams later determined the “officer’s use of force was justified.”
After the defendant surrendered, police entered the residence and located Florentino deceased with two gunshot wounds to the head.
MORE:
- East Hempfield Township Man Sentenced to Life Plus 41.5-85 Years After Being Found Guilty of Murdering Girlfriend, Shooting at Police
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