Omar Rodriguez, a 75-year-old man who was convicted for murdering his neighbor, Jose Rey, due to a dispute over dog poop lashed out at the widow of his victim during a sentencing hearing on Thursday, according to video footage obtained by the Miami Herald.
The sentencing, which took place in a Miami-Dade courtroom, took a dramatic turn, the video footage shows. The convict can be heard yelling at Lissette Rey, the wife of the victim, during her impact statement.
“The coward was your husband,” Rodriguez shouts. “That’s why I killed him … he cried like a baby.”
The footage shows officers escort the man out of the courtroom after his outburst.
Rodriguez was convicted in May after a jury deliberated for six hours before finding him guilty of second-degree murder and aggravated assault, according to NBC Miami. The second charge resulted from Rodriguez reportedly making threats against Rey’s wife during the incident. (RELATED: ‘Kiss My A**’: Video Shows Defendant Go On Profanity-Laced Rant Aimed At Judge)
The altercation started when Rey and his wife were walking his dog near Rodriguez’s son’s home in 2015, according to the Miami Herald. Witnesses reportedly informed law enforcement that Rodriguez followed the couple in his car as they walked. The convict confronted Rey when the dog defecated on his son’s lawn, the outlet reported.
Rey secured the dog in his residence, according to the Miami Herald. When he returned, Rodriguez was reportedly shirtless and ready to fight, witnesses informed authorities. The convict then shot Rey three times while the victim held his arms up and stepped backward, police stated, the outlet reported.
Witnesses told law enforcement that Rodriguez threatened Rey’s wife as she attempted to help her husband, according to the outlet. The victim reportedly died several days following the incident. Rodriguez had previously harassed neighbors, the outlet noted.
Rodriguez argued that he had acted in self-defense and tried to use Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, but his claim was rejected by a judge in 2021, NBC Miami reported. Rodriguez also alleged that Rey had brandished a knife against him, according to the outlet. Prosecutors reportedly said the convict planted the weapon at the scene, attempting to force it into his victim’s hand.
During the hearing, Lissette Rey expressed her animosity toward the defendant, the Miami Herald reported. “I pray he spends the rest of his pitiful existence in prison,” she reportedly said to the judge. “He’s a narcissistic piece of s—.”
“I am pleased,” Lissette told reporters in the video. “I wish, though, that the death sentence would have been on the table, because at the end of the day Mr. Rodriguez will continue to see his family. They’ll be able to visit him and see him. I’ll never get to see my husband again. So — where’s the justice in that? So at least he’s behind bars and he can’t harm anybody else.”
