The man convicted of killing a convenience store worker during a robbery in Hazleton has been sentenced to life in prison.
Jafet Rodriguez was sentenced Thursday after being found guilty of first-degree murder and robbery last month in the 2020 shooting death of Ashokkumar Patel. The deadly incident took place during a robbery at Craig’s Food Mart in December of that year.
Rodriguez was convicted by a jury in June, nearly four years after Patel’s death. Prosecutors said Rodriguez entered the store intending to rob it and shot Patel during the crime. Patel, a beloved member of the community, died at the scene.
With Thursday’s sentencing, Rodriguez will now spend the rest of his life behind bars without the possibility of parole.
