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A Florida man who used office supplies to kill two colleagues in a violent workplace attack has pleaded guilty more than 11 years after the gruesome slayings.
Jose Rojas, 55, took the lives of his boss Frances Venezia and his co-worker Robert James. On April 27, 2012, at the location of Venezia’s company, Professional Public Adjusters, Rojas reportedly bound his two victims in duct tape and used a variety of office supplies, including a mop handle and paper cutter, to take their lives.
According to the Miami Herald, Rojas allegedly started embezzling from the company in December 2011, and by April 2012, he had sent himself gift cards and goods worth around $3,500 using a company credit card. Two days before the murders, he reportedly overheard Venezia on the phone with the credit card company about the charges, and prosecutors say that’s when he started to plan the killings.
Police tape blocks off the location of where Rojas attacked and killed two of his colleagues in Coral Gables, Florida, on April 27, 2012 (via WTJV). Inset top: Jose Rojas (booking photo via Miami Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation). Inset bottom: Rojas at trial (via WTJV).
Two days later, after dropping his daughter off at school and picking up a wooden mop, dish towels, and duct tape at a Winn-Dixie, he allegedly showed up at the workplace with a bag containing a ski mask and extra clothing. He waited for his colleagues to arrive, armed with a pellet gun that he had kept at his desk.
After Venezia and James arrived, sometime after 9 a.m., Rojas allegedly subdued them with the gun before duct-taping them to office chairs. He reportedly forced Venezia to call her bank and have a check issued to him from her personal account; when that didn’t work, according to the Miami Herald, he used various office supplies to start beating his victims.
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At trial, prosecutors showed jurors pictures of the murders as well as evidence from the crime scene, including pieces of duct tape with dry blood stains and a bloody hole puncher, according to Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ. Jurors also were shown a mop with a partially cracked handle and rags covered in dry blood, as well as an office chair that was still covered in dried blood spots and hair particles, the Miami Herald reported.
Prosecutors also detailed how Rojas allegedly used the blade from a paper cutter to attack his victims.
According to the Miami Herald, this went on for hours. Venezia reportedly managed to try and contact her daughter in New York, but she didn’t answer the phone, while James was able to reach his life partner in Italy and beg for help. Their efforts were rendered useless, however, when Rojas killed them.
He was reportedly confronted by police outside the building. Covered in blood, Rojas ran across the street into an alley next to a supermarket, where he was tackled. He reportedly confessed after 17 hours of interviews with police.
He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of armed kidnapping, as well as attempted robbery. His trial started Wednesday, and his guilty plea on Friday reportedly came as a surprise. According to the Miami Herald, he was considering an insanity defense, with his defense lawyer referring to him having been in a “psychotic state” at the time of the killings.
Jail records show that Rojas has been held without bond since April 28, 2012.
The next hearing for Rojas is scheduled for Dec. 12.
