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Inset: Johnny Jose Rodriguez (Indio police). Background: The 38000 block of Rancho Los Coyotes Drive in Indio, California, where Rodriguez killed a 32-year-old woman (Google Maps).
Earlier this month, Johnny Jose Rodriguez admitted guilt to charges of second-degree murder in connection with the death of 32-year-old Angela Struzas in the city of Indio, located roughly 120 miles east of Los Angeles. On Tuesday, he received a sentence of 55 years to life, as reported by the City News Service.
The tragic incident unfolded on January 14, 2020, in the 38000 block of Rancho Los Coyotes Drive. Police officers responding to the scene discovered Struzas suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, and she was soon declared dead. Following an investigation, authorities charged Rodriguez with murder and arrested her roommate, then 44 years old, on accusations of being an accessory to murder and for witness intimidation.
According to testimony presented by Indio police detectives at a preliminary hearing in 2020, Rodriguez confessed to the shooting when initially questioned by investigators, as reported by the City News Service.
Per the City News Service, Indio police detectives testified at a 2020 preliminary hearing that Rodriguez immediately admitted to the shooting when questioned by investigators.
“I”m a good aim,” he reportedly said.
He claimed the victim’s roommate handed him a gun and told him to “get her.” Rodriguez said he first shot Struzas in the arm. He then fired a second shot, which killed her.
Detective Kelly Hawkins described the horrific scene in the room where cops found Struzas dead.
“She was just drenched in blood, in a pool of blood,” Hawkins testified, per the News Service.
Rodriguez refused to say why he shot the victim.
Investigators later determined the roommate had nothing to do with the slaying and dropped charges against him.
Rodriguez reportedly had a previous felony conviction on drug possession charges.
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