Mother's Day murderer gets life without parole

RENO - Showing no remorse or offering any explanation, Victor Rodriguez practically dared a Reno judge on Wednesday to give him the maximum sentence for the Mother's Day murder of Rene Angulo and shooting of Wayne Nash.

"I wasn't in my right mind. But I'm a man, I'll take responsibility for my actions," said Rodriguez. "You can give me a million years. I'm not gonna beg for mercy."

Then he muttered once more, "I wasn't in my right mind."

Reno District Judge Connie Steinheimer didn't have the option of a million years, but after an afternoon of tearful testimony, she did give the illegal immigrant and convicted felon the maximum sentence of life in prison without parole with a consecutive sentence of eight to 20 years for using a deadly weapon in the killing of Angulo, 17, of Carson City.

Steinheimer then sentenced Rodriguez to the max again in the attempted murder of Nash - two consecutive sentences of eight to 20 years.

"The court is cognizant there are two victims in this case and that's why I'll run (both charges) consecutive," said Steinheimer before ordering Rodriguez to prison and ultimately ending a case that stunned the community and ripped apart two families.

"It was a tragic and senseless incident with an everlasting and devastating outcome, especially for the Angulo family," said Nash during the sentencing hearing. "Victor Rodriguez selfishly and cruelly took Rene's life and then without hesitation, almost took mine."

On May 10 about 12:30 p.m., Nash, his wife and daughter were driving north through Washoe Valley when the car in front of them swerved off the road.

Thinking there was an accident, Nash stopped to help.

He said Wednesday that he saw Angulo lying on the side of the road and a vehicle speeding out of the shoulder.

As the car passed him, Rodriguez fired shots at Nash, narrowly missing Nash's head and striking the femoral artery in his leg.

Rodriguez then fled the scene in Angulo's car and was later captured hiding naked in brush off Old 395 with a trail of bloodied clothing and 95 hundred-dollar bills behind him. Rodriguez claimed he "blacked out" during the incident.

Angulo was pronounced dead at the scene of gunshot wounds to the temple and right side. Washoe County Deputy District Attorney Dan Greco said the shots came from the rear, which would indicate Rodriguez was in the back seat when he shot Angulo as Angulo drove through the valley.

"He executed him," said Greco.

Nash was rushed to the hospital where he spent several weeks and underwent three surgeries.

Angulo's girlfriend Magaly Sanchez, seven months pregnant with Angulo's daughter, took the witness stand and told of the plans the couple had together.

While Angulo and she had discussed the possibility she might be pregnant, they'd planned to confirm it when her shift ended at El Pollo Loco the day he was killed.

She was also among the last people to see Angulo alive. Surveillance footage captured him getting alone into his car at the fast food restaurant on Highway 50 East at 12:20 p.m.

By 12:35 p.m. he was dead, and Nash had been shot.

No connection was ever found between Rodriguez, an admitted gang member who has a rap street that includes drug trafficking and assault charges, and Angulo, a sophomore who picked up his niece every day after he got out of school to help his older brother.

"I know a lot of people will say we were young and foolish and didn't know anything about love. But what we had was real," Sanchez said. "Rene was not just my boyfriend. I lost my best friend, my other half, my future husband and my baby's father."

Angulo's mother, Martha Angulo, said her son was curious and gentle.

"He would tell me he wanted me to be proud of him, and I would tell him, I already am, Rene," she said.

"He took my son's life with no mercy and such cruelty. My son was 17 years old. He was just a child," she said.

Rodriguez's sister, mother and girlfriend all testified, via video and recorded phone call, that Rodriguez had suffered from nightmares since childhood and in the months leading up to the killing had been acting strangely.

"I know he went to the doctor because he was feeling weird. He thought he had animals in his body," his sister said. "I want the judge to know he's not mentally well - he is sick - and to consider that."

"He would never have done something terrible like this," said girlfriend Rachel Zertuche, the mother of Rodriguez's daughters, ages 2 and 6. "Everyone deserves a second chance."

In addition to the prison sentence, Rodriguez was ordered to pay $63,500 in restitution, $9,500 of which will be the money recovered at his arrest.