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 second-degree murder for the 2020 killing of 32-year-old Angela Struzas in Indio, situated roughly 120 miles east of Los Angeles. His sentencing took place on Tuesday, as reported by the City News Service.
The tragic event unfolded on January 14, 2020, in the 38000 block of Rancho Los Coyotes Drive. Officers responding to the scene discovered Struzas with multiple gunshot wounds, and she was later declared deceased. Subsequent investigations led to Rodriguez’s arrest on murder charges, along with the arrest of her 44-year-old roommate for being an accessory to murder and for witness intimidation.
According to the City News Service, during a preliminary hearing in 2020, detectives from the Indio police recounted that Rodriguez confessed to the shooting upon being interrogated. “I’m a good aim,” he reportedly commented to the investigators.
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.
