The case of the tragic murder of Jorge Rodriguez, showcased on the Investigation Discovery’s ‘See No Evil: A Crash, Not an Accident,’ unveils the events leading to his brutal demise.
Detectives leaned on extensive CCTV footage and received an anonymous tip, which resulted in the arrest of the culprit within days.
The episode features the victim’s daughters and the detectives involved in the case, providing a detailed account of the sequence of events surrounding the crime.
Jorge Rodriguez, a 51-year-old man planning to celebrate Independence Day with his daughter, Darlin Molina, in Pasco, Franklin County, Washington.
As a father of three daughters — Darlin, Kimberly, and Karen Molina — Jorge was known for his captivating smile and profound affection for his family.
Kimberly tearfully remembered how their father was always there for them and took care of their every need.
On the Fourth of July in 2017, Darlin, who was pregnant at the time, opted not to watch the fireworks.
Jorge, thrilled about becoming a grandfather, went out to purchase groceries from the nearby Fiesta Foods. However, he never returned home.
What occurred to him? Here’s what we know about the case.
Everything about Jorge Rodriguez Homicide
Darlin received a distressing phone call from the Pasco police just before 11:00 PM, informing her that her father had been shot twice.
In a state of distress, Darlin hurried to the scene and found her father holding his face, signaling for her to stay calm before being taken away in an ambulance.
Initially, Jorge was taken to a Tri-City hospital at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.
However, due to the severity of his brain damage, he was later moved to hospice care in Kennewick.
Tragically, he never regained consciousness and passed away 25 days later, on July 29, 2017.
The inquiry into Jorge Rodriguez Homicide
The Jorge Rodriguez Homicide case involved the Pasco Police Department’s efforts to identify and capture the individual responsible for the fatal shooting.
The Pasco Police Department received a 911 call around 10:34 PM reporting an injured man running around and attempting to stop traffic on Lewis Street.
The caller believed he may have accidentally harmed himself and was seeking assistance.
Sergeant Chad Pettijohn of the Pasco Police Department explained that law enforcement officials are prepared for such calls on the Fourth of July due to the likelihood of fireworks-related accidents.
Upon arriving at the scene, the officers quickly realized that it was not a fireworks incident.
Jorge was standing on the sidewalk, clutching his face in pain. Based on his injury, the first responders’ report states that someone shot him.
While paramedics rushed him to a nearby hospital, the police began questioning witnesses.
One individual pointed them in the direction Jorge had mentioned, stating that he had crashed his car in that area.
Following the given direction, the officers discovered Jorge’s blood trail.
They followed it and found his Cadillac Escalade crashed into another vehicle in a parking lot behind the Los Pinos restaurant.
The black Cadillac had driven through a fence and collided with the parked car.
Detectives then sought surveillance footage to shed light on the perplexing events.
They approached the management of Los Pinos and obtained access to the surveillance footage, which showed Jorge’s Cadillac Escalade speeding erratically before crashing into the fence.
The restaurant had another camera angle capturing the parking lot, revealing gunshots inside the car just prior to the collision.
Footage also showed Jorge stumbling out of his vehicle and seeking help on the road while the alleged perpetrator fled the scene.
Unfortunately, the camera did not clearly capture the shooter’s identity.
To comprehend the path taken by the perpetrator, the investigators scrutinized the surveillance footage from all the CCTV cameras along the escape route.
They observed the shooter walking toward the parking lot just before the shots were fired, as captured by a camera at a private residence.
Other local businesses had cameras that recorded the suspect wandering around and attempting to steal a car.
Although none of the videos clearly depicted the suspect’s face, the officers believed it was a failed carjacking.
Upon inspecting Jorge’s crashed Cadillac, the officers discovered .32-caliber shell casings and several grocery bags from Fiesta Foods.
They decided to review the store’s in-house surveillance footage to determine if Jorge had been followed from there.
Detectives observed Jorge purchasing his groceries, paying with a large bill, and engaging in friendly conversation with the cashier as he counted his change.
Meanwhile, one of the investigators noticed an individual loitering a few meters from the counter.
The individual caught their attention because he wore clothing the same color as the alleged shooter in other surveillance footage.
Although the surveillance footage from Fiesta Foods provided a clear view, the camera’s overhead angle prevented the officers from identifying the suspect’s face.
However, they did notice the Dallas Cowboys emblem on the suspect’s T-shirt.
Frustrated by the lack of progress, the investigators received an anonymous tip that provided a crucial breakthrough.
Who committed the murder of Jorge?
The tip revealed the name of the then 17-year-old suspect, Pedro Cadenas, along with a crucial detail — he possessed a .32-caliber weapon.
Since the police had not released this information to the public, they proceeded to arrest Pedro from his girlfriend’s residence in Sunnyside without incident.
However, Pedro refused to cooperate with the authorities, invoking his Miranda rights.
With time running out to either charge or release him within the stipulated 24-hour period, the officers received assistance from a confidential informant who claimed that Pedro had confessed to the shooting.
According to the informant, Pedro attended a barbecue after the shooting while still wearing his bloodstained clothes and admitted to shooting someone.
Where is the murderer of Jorge Rodriguez now?
The Jorge Rodriguez Homicide case concluded with Pedro Cadenas receiving a lengthy prison sentence for his involvement in the crime.
Combined evidence from surveillance footage and the informant’s testimony led to charges of first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a firearm in second-degree, and attempted theft of a motor vehicle with firearm enhancements against Pedro.
In November 2018, a jury found Pedro guilty on all charges, and in 2019, he was sentenced to 36 years and two months in prison.
At 23 years old, Pedro is serving his sentence at the Stafford Creek Corrections Center.
This is a shocking and tragic crime that occurred in Pasco, Washington. The reader is likely to feel a sense of sadness and disbelief upon reading this headline. The text suggests that someone named Jorge Rodriguez has been murdered, which immediately raises questions about the circumstances surrounding his death. The reader may feel a sense of concern for the safety of their community and may be interested in learning more details about the crime.