On March 27, 2018, the state of Texas executed 38-year-old Rosendo Rodriguez III, making him the fourth person executed in Texas so far this year. Rodriguez was known in the media as the “suitcase killer” because the UPC code on a suitcase was an important piece of evidence in his capital murder case.
The Murders, the Victims, and the Tell-Tale Suitcase
In September of 2015, a suitcase containing the body of Summer Baldwin was found in a landfill near Lubbock, Texas. Baldwin had only been missing for two days when her body was found; the FBI was eager to find her when she disappeared, as she was a witness in a federal counterfeiting case. A clue to identifying her killer was the UPC code on the suitcase in which her body was found; authorities traced it to a Texas Walmart. CCTV footage from the Walmart showed Rodriguez, who was in the area for Marine Reserves training at the time, buying the suitcase.
The connection of Rodriguez to Baldwin’s killing allowed authorities to link him to another previously unsolved case. The following month, they found another suitcase in the same landfill, this one containing the body of Joanna Rogers. It is likely that Rodriguez killed Rogers in May of 2004, shortly after she disappeared.
The Trial and Execution of Rodriguez
Rodriguez pleaded not guilty to the murders of Rogers and Baldwin. He admitted that he killed both victims but maintained that, in both cases, he acted in self-defense. He claimed that Baldwin had tried to stab him. He was found guilty and sentenced to death in May of 2008. A factor contributing to his sentence was the fact that Baldwin had been in the early stages of pregnancy at the time of her death.
Capital Punishment in Texas
Rodriguez was executed by lethal injection and pronounced dead at 6:46 p.m. on March 27, 2018. The time from when Rodriguez received the death sentence to his execution was just under 10 years. Like almost everyone who receives a death sentence, he appealed the punishment several times.
Texas executes far more people than any other state in the United States. More than a third of the executions that have taken place in the United States since 1976 have been in Texas. The prosecution may only seek the death penalty in certain instances, including the following:
- The victim was 10 years old or younger
- The victim was a firefighter, paramedic, or police officer
- The killer was a hit man or hired a hit man to commit the murder
- The murderer committed the crime while already in prison for another murder
- The murderer committed the crime while trying to escape from prison (regardless of the charges for which he was currently serving a sentence)
Contact Madrid Law About Felony Cases
Texas is one of the worst states in which to be convicted of a felony. Contact Madrid Law in Houston if you are facing felony charges, and get the best legal representation around.
