Saturday, April 15, 2017

Tampa, FL

TAMPA, Fla., April 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rickman Law Firm announces today that a not guilty verdict was delivered by a jury in the second degree murder trial of Ruben Rodriguez, a veteran of the U.S. Army who served two tours in Iraq. Rodriguez was charged with murder after he fatally shot an individual with his AR-15 rifle. The jury delivered their verdict after just two and a half hours of deliberation. Attorney Anthony Rickman of The Rickman Law Firm defended Rodriguez at trial. David Knox served as co-counsel.
In January 2015, Rodriguez arrived at his home to observe two men fleeing his yard. Upon seeing the men, Rodriguez armed himself with an AR-15 rifle and traveled in their direction. A few minutes later, Rodriguez came into contact with the men and asked if they had seen anyone running from his home. One of the men approached the vehicle, cursing and threatening Rodriguez. After repeated requests from Rodriguez not to approach the vehicle and advising the individual that he had a weapon, the man arrived at Rodriguez's window and continued to threaten him.
While close enough to see the AR-15 rifle on Rodriguez's lap, the individual taunted Rodriguez. He then reached into the vehicle and grabbed the muzzle of the firearm attempting to pull it away from Rodriguez. He placed the muzzle of the firearm in his mouth and told Rodriguez to shoot him, yelling, "I'm not afraid to die….are you?" As he had the muzzle of the rifle near his mouth, the individual threw a punch at Rodriguez's head. Rodriguez fired a single shot, killing him instantly. Toxicology results showed that the individual had 10 times the normal dosage of methamphetamine in his system and a blood alcohol level two times the legal limit. The deceased was also found in possession of a 3.5-inch pocket knife.

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