Rosendo Rodriguez

{{Infobox criminal

| name = Rosendo Rodriguez III

| birth_date = {{birth date|1980|3|26}}

| birth_place = Wichita Falls, Texas, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2018|03|27|1980|3|26}}

| death_place = Huntsville Unit, Texas, U.S.

| other_names = The Suitcase Killer

| penalty = Death (May 14, 2008)

| victims = Joanna Rogers, 16
Summer Baldwin, 29

| date = c. May 4, 2004 (Rogers)
c. September 12, 2005 (Baldwin)

| conviction = Capital murder

| criminal_status = Executed by lethal injection

}}

Rosendo Rodriguez III (March 26, 1980 – March 27, 2018){{cite web|url=https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/dr_info/rodriguezrosendo.html|title=Texas Department of Criminal Justice|website=tdcj.texas.gov|language=english|access-date=2018-03-26}}{{cite web|title=The Latest: Texas executes "suitcase killer"|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/latest-supreme-court-block-texas-execution-54054778|website=ABC News|accessdate=28 March 2018|language=en}} was an American murderer sentenced to death and executed in Texas for the September 2005 rape and murder of 29-year-old Summer Baldwin in Lubbock, Texas.

Rodriguez, a Marine reservist with no prior criminal convictions, was in Lubbock for training at the time of the murder, and was also found to be responsible for the murder of 16-year-old Joanna Rogers in the same city the preceding May (the killings were linked by Rodriguez's modus operandi, as both victims were found stuffed into suitcases which ended up in the same Lubbock landfill). Rodriguez was executed at the Huntsville Unit on March 27, 2018, the day after his 38th birthday.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rosendo-rodriguez-texas-suitcase-killer-execution-tuesday/|title=Texas "suitcase killer" Rosendo Rodriguez set for execution Tuesday|access-date=2018-03-26|language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.texastribune.org/2018/03/27/lubbocks-suitcase-killer-fights-upcoming-execution/|title=Texas executes Lubbock "suitcase killer"|website=Texas Tribune|date=27 March 2018 |language=en|access-date=2018-03-27}}

Background

Rodriguez was born on March 26, 1980, in Wichita Falls, northern Texas. He allegedly faced abuse from his alcoholic and domineering father, Rosendo Rodriguez Jr. He attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, and had worked as an office clerk and as a fast food worker, as well as serving as a Marine reservist.{{Cite web|url=http://www.theforgivenessfoundation.org/index.php/scheduled-executions/4597-texas-gives-rosendo-rodriguez-execution-date-of-march-37-2018|title=Texas Executes Rosendo Rodriguez on March 27, 2018|last=Horst|first=J. D.|website=www.theforgivenessfoundation.org|language=en-gb|access-date=2018-03-31|archive-date=2018-03-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327085053/http://www.theforgivenessfoundation.org/index.php/scheduled-executions/4597-texas-gives-rosendo-rodriguez-execution-date-of-march-37-2018|url-status=dead}}

Murders

On September 13, 2005, the body of Summer Lee Baldwin was found in a suitcase in a Lubbock landfill. She had been raped and suffered numerous beatings, but had died from positional asphyxia after being stuffed in the suitcase.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rosendo-rodriguez-texas-suitcase-killer-execution-tuesday/|title=Texas "suitcase killer" Rosendo Rodriguez set for execution Tuesday|access-date=2018-03-31|language=en}} Summer, a 29-year-old native of Washington state, was working as a sex worker in Lubbock when she disappeared two days earlier, and had also been serving as a witness in a federal counterfeiting case, bringing her murder to the attention of the FBI. Summer was also around 10 weeks pregnant when she was killed, which served as an aggravating factor at Rodriguez's 2008 trial.{{Cite web |title=ROSENDO RODRIGUEZ, III v. THE STATE OF TEXAS (original) |url=https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/court-of-criminal-appeals/2011/20753.html |access-date=2025-04-24 |website=Justia Law |language=en}} Rodriguez was linked to the killing via a UPC on the suitcase, and he had been arrested by September 15. He was also identified on CCTV footage as having bought the suitcase from a nearby Walmart in the early hours of September 12.{{Cite news|url=http://www.lubbockonline.com/news/20180324/execution-stay-chances-wither-for-lubbocks-suitcase-killer|title=Execution stay chances wither for Lubbock's 'suitcase killer'|last=Media|first=Gabriel Monte A-J|work=Lubbock Avalanche|access-date=2018-03-31|language=en}} In addition, in Rodriguez's hotel room were found a tag from the suitcase, a used condom, blood spatter from Summer Baldwin and latex gloves with DNA from Rodriguez and Summer Baldwin on them.{{cite web|url=https://www.talkmurderwithme.com/blog/2021/11/8/rosendo-rodriguez-suitcase-killer|title=Rosendo Rodriguez: The Suitcase Killer|date=8 November 2021 }} In October 2006, the remains of Joanna Kathryn Rogers were found in the same landfill as that of Summer Baldwin after an extensive search. Joanna had been missing since May 2004.

During his interrogation, Rodriguez claimed that he and Summer entered a hotel room on the night of September 11, had consensual sex through the early hours of September 12, and that Rodriguez strangled her after she pulled a knife on him. He told a similar story regarding Rogers, who he claimed became violent after he refused to pay her for having sex with him.{{Cite web |title=They pieced together a puzzle, and a disturbing picture emerged |url=https://www.tdcaa.com/journal/they-pieced-together-a-puzzle-and-a-disturbing-picture-emerged/ |access-date=2025-04-24 |website=Texas District & County Attorneys Association |language=en-US}}

Trial, appeals, and execution

Rodriguez was initially offered a plea deal that involved him pleading guilty to the murders of both women, but he refused at the last minute. He was convicted of the capital murder of Summer, and he was sentenced to death by lethal injection. During his incarceration, he contributed to inmate blog Minutes before Six on matters of criminal justice and politics.{{cite web|url=http://minutesbeforesix.blogspot.com/search/label/Rosendo%20Rodriguez%20%28TX%29 |title=Minutes Before Six:Rosendo Rodriguez |website=Minutesbeforesix.blogspot.com |accessdate=2018-06-18}}

Rodriguez's lawyer appealed the sentence based on a potential Brady disclosure violation by District Attorney Matt Powell for failing to disclose information regarding activities of the medical examiner who performed one of the autopsies.{{cite web|author=Keri Blakinger |author-link=Keri Blakinger |url=https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Suitcase-Killer-asks-for-stay-citing-12631074.php |title='Suitcase Killer' asks for stay citing lawsuit, $230,000 settlement against medical examiner - The Houston Chronicle |website=chron.com |date=2018-02-22 |accessdate=2018-06-18}}

On October 30, 2017, an appeal by Rodriguez to the US Supreme Court was denied. He was executed as scheduled on March 27, 2018.{{cite web|author=Jolie McCullagh |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2018/03/27/lubbocks-suitcase-killer-fights-upcoming-execution/ |title=Texas executes Lubbock "suitcase killer" |website=texastribune.org |date=2018-03-27 |accessdate=2018-06-18}}

In his final statement he called for investigation of Powell and medical examiner Sridhar Natarajan, saying they had been involved in multiple wrongful convictions.{{cite web|url=https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/dr_info/rodriguezrosendolast.html|title=Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Death Row Information|website=www.tdcj.texas.gov|accessdate=2018-06-18}} He also called for a boycott of Texas businesses until capital punishment is ended there.{{cite web|author=Jolie McCullagh |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2018/03/27/lubbocks-suitcase-killer-fights-upcoming-execution/ |title=Texas executes Lubbock "suitcase killer" - The Texas Tribune |website=texastribune.org |date=2018-03-27 |accessdate=2018-06-18}}

References

External links

[https://apps.texastribune.org/death-row/ Faces of Death Row: The Texas Tribune]
[https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions-united-states Executions in the United States]

! colspan="3" | Executions carried out in Texas

{{s-bef|before=John Battaglia|before2=

February 1, 2018

}}

{{s-aft|after=Erick Daniel Davila|after2=

April 25, 2018

}}

! colspan="3" | Executions carried out in the United States

{{s-bef|before=Carlton Gary – Georgia|before2=

March 15, 2018

}}

{{s-aft|after=Walter Moody – Alabama|after2=