Texas man sentenced for Route 78 truck stop slaying in Hunterdon
A Texas man was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in state prison for fatally shooting a Florida man during an argument at the Pilot Travel Center off Interstate 78 in Union Township on Jan. 23, 2021.
David L. Rodriguez, 47, of Alamo, Texas, will have to serve 17 years of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
Rodriguez pleaded guilty on June 22 before Superior Court Judge Angela Borkowski in Flemington to one count of first-degree aggravated manslaughter for killing Ricardo Menezes De Castro, 43, of Deerfield Beach, Florida.
“We again find ourselves mourning a life cut short at the hands of gun violence, " Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée M. Robeson said in a statement. "This case is an unfortunate example of how a roadside dispute quickly escalated into a fatal encounter."
"The Court acknowledged during sentencing today, anyone who possesses a firearm is tasked with appreciating the profound power and responsibility that comes with it, including exercising restraint in the face of confrontation," Robeson continued. "Mr. Rodriguez took the life of a hardworking and beloved man for which he will have to serve a lengthy sentence.”
In pleading guilty, Rodriguez told Borkowski he became involved in an argument with De Castro, which then "became physical."
"I kept backing up," Rodriguez said. "He swung at me several times."
More: Widow sues man who killed husband at Hunterdon County I-78 truck stop
Rodriguez, who had a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber handgun tucked in his belt under his shirt, said he was about 10 feet away from De Castro when he raised the gun and pointed it at him. He then fired the gun four times, he said, hitting DeCastro twice.
Court papers say that after the shooting, Rodriguez called 911 to say he had shot a fellow trucker who had spit at him. He then sat in his rig, unloaded the handgun and waited for state troopers to arrive.
Rodriguez and De Castro did not know each other before the encounter at the truck stop, court records say.
Arriving state troopers from the Perryville Station found De Castro inside the convenience store at the truck stop with gunshot wounds. He was taken to Hunterdon Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Texas man sentenced for NJ truck stop killing
