Widow sues man who killed husband at Hunterdon County I-78 truck stop
FLEMINGTON - The widow of a Florida man killed two years after an argument at an Union Township truck stop has filed suit against the man who shot her husband, his employer and the truck stop on claims of wrongful death and negligence.
Lucianne Telles De Assis, a resident of Clermont, Florida, about 20 miles west of Orlando, filed the suit Jan. 4 in Hunterdon County Superior Court against David Rodriguez who has pleaded guilty to fatally shooting a fellow trucker, Ricardo Menezes De Castro, 43, on Jan. 23, 2021, at the Pilot truck stop on Route 173 off Interstate 78.
Rodriguez remains in Warren County Jail, where Hunterdon County houses its inmates, pending the sentencing on the aggravated manslaughter charge. Rodriguez had originally been charged with murder.
The lawsuit also names Amicus Hillsboro Holdings LLC, Rodriguez's trucking company, and Pilot Flying J, the owner of the truck stop.
In pleading guilty, Rodriguez told Superior Court Judge Angela Borkowski he became involved in an argument with De Castro, which then "became physical."
Earlier:California man pleads guilty in Hunterdon truck stop killing
"I kept backing up," Rodriguez said. "He swung at me several times."
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.
More:Texas man indicted on murder charges in fatal Hunterdon truck stop shooting
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.
The lawsuit claims that Rodriguez's actions were "negligent, careless, wanton, willful and/or intentional."
The lawsuit also alleges that Amicus Hillsboro Holdings and Pilot Flying J were negligent for allowing Rodriguez to have a loaded gun and failing to prohibit the carrying of a firearm at the business.
Pilot Flying J also allegedly failed to screen visitors to the truck stop, failed to have adequate security measures and did not adequately train employees in crime prevention, the lawsuit contends.
The lawsuit also argues that Amicus Hillsboro Holdings either knew or should have known that Rodriguez had "impulsive dangerous propensities" and failed to perform "a sufficient background check" on Rodriguez.
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.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Widow sues man who killed husband at Hunterdon County I-78 truck stop
