BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – A Brazos County jury sentenced Samuel Rodriguez to 50 years in prison after convicting him of murder, the Brazos County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Prosecutors said that after around 2.5 hours of deliberations following five days of testimony from nearly 20 witnesses, the jury reached a guilty verdict on May 12, and Rodriguez was sentenced on May 13.
Authorities said the case was from Feb. 19, 2021, when Rodriguez and another man traveled to College Station from Houston with plans to rob a resident at The Junction at College Station apartments.
Investigators said that the victim was held at gunpoint during the robbery.
A shootout followed, killing the second suspect and leaving the victim with multiple gunshot wounds. Prosecutors said Rodriguez fled and left the co-conspirator’s body across the street from a hospital in Navasota before returning to Houston.
At trial, prosecutors said detectives recovered key evidence that connected Rodriguez to the crime, including:
Firearms evidence indicates that three guns were fired during the robberyA ski mask and a box for a 9mm Ruger believed to be used in the killing were found during a search of Rodriguez’s residence.Phone evidence investigators said linked him to the case.
Rodriguez was taken into custody Feb. 23, 2021, according to the DA’s office.
“The defendant’s plan to make quick cash left two people dead and others forever traumatized,” prosecutors said in a statement. “The jury sent a clear message with their verdict—when you bring this type of violence to Brazos County, the consequences will be severe.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Kevin Capps and Tiffany Larsen, with support from the College Station Police Department and Navasota Police Department, according to the release.
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