NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A 31-year-old Queens man has been sentenced to 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to fatally shooting the mother of his infant son in the eye in September 2017.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the sentence on Wednesday, nearly a month after Robert Rodriguez, of Cambria Heights, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the death of Luz Cuza, 34.
According to the charges, Rodriguez and the victim were in the front yard of her 147th Street home during the early morning hours of Sept. 17, 2017.
Cuza's brother came outside and discovered her on the ground, dead from a gunshot wound to the eye. Rodriguez was allegedly seen leaving the scene with a shoe box in his hand.
Katz said the victim's brother banged on neighbors’ doors and yelled for someone to call 911.
Police responded to the scene and went to the defendant’s address, where they found a loaded semi-automatic pistol and 48 rounds of ammunition in a shoebox. Forensic analysis showed the firearm was the same one used to kill Cuza.
"The defendant admitted killing the mother of his infant son during an argument in front of her home," Katz said in a statement. "This violent tragedy leaves three children without their mother. This sentencing cannot redress their loss but we hope it brings their family a measure of justice."
Rodriguez faces five years of post-release supervision following his prison sentence.
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