Man Accused Of Shooting Girlfriend In Head In SF Charged With Murder, Domestic Violence
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - A 20-year-old man accused of fatally shooting his 21-year-old girlfriend in the head last week inside a San Francisco home made his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon.
San Francisco prosecutors have charged Jose Rodriguez with murder, domestic violence with the use of firearm and attempting to remove an officer's handgun in connection with the Oct. 24 death of Valeria Villagomez.
According to court documents, officers responded around 2:05 p.m. to a home in the 3000 block of 26th Avenue after someone called to report that a woman had been shot in the head.
Upon arrival, officers saw Rodriquez, shirtless and with blood on his hands, walking into the home. The officers followed Rodriguez inside and discovered Villagomez lying on the floor in a pool of blood, with an apparent gunshot wound to her head, court documents said.
Villagomez was taken to a hospital, but she died shortly after.
At the scene, officers located a revolver and ammunition.
Officers took Rodriguez into custody, but while in police custody, Rodriguez attempted to take his own life, according to court documents.
Rodriguez was taken to the hospital, however, and while there he allegedly tried to disarm a police officer of his gun, but was unsuccessful.
Officers later learned Rodriguez suffers from bipolar disorder and takes antipsychotic medication.
After interviewing witnesses, police learned that Rodriguez and Villagomez had been dating for the last several months. The witness reported to police several instances of abusive behavior, including seeing Rodriguez choke Villagomez, seeing Rodriguez threaten to kill Villagomez and calling her a "whore," in addition to him forcing her to delete her Instagram account.
Rodriguez, who's being represented by the Public Defender's Office, is currently being held without bail and is expected to enter a plea when his arraignment continues next Tuesday.
Rodriguez's attorney Brian Pearlman, said, "Preliminary Information suggests that this was a tragic accident that resulted in the death of someone Jose loves dearly and has been close to since childhood.
"We look forward to seeing all the materials the government has as soon as possible so both families can get the answers they deserve," he said.
If convicted of the charges, Rodriguez, who is from Southern California, faces a minimum of 50 years to life in prison.
Newly sworn-in District Attorney Suzy Loftus made a special appearance at Rodriguez's arraignment.
"What we know is that unfortunately, the UN report that the most dangerous place for a woman is in her own home is still true," she said.
"I think when we see this type of horrific crime, it's important to remember that if anyone in San Francisco knows someone who they think might be a victim of domestic violence, certainly to report it to the police," she said.
Loftus recommended that anyone involved or who knows of someone involved in a domestic violence relationship call La Casa De Las Madres' 24-hour crisis line at (877) 503-1850.
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