City man sentenced in wife’s slaying

A 43-year-old city man who stabbed his estranged wife to death before turning the knife on himself has been sentenced to 15 to 20 years in state prison.

William Rodriguez was charged with first-degree murder in the Feb. 10, 2004, stabbing death of 34-year-old Carmen L. Rodriguez in the kitchen of the Beechwood Hotel on Plantation Street, where they both worked, but pleaded guilty Monday in Worcester Superior Court to a reduced charge of manslaughter.

The 15- to 20-year sentence imposed by Judge Peter W. Agnes Jr. was recommended by Assistant District Attorney Michael D. McHugh and Mr. Rodriguez's lawyer, Margaret R. Guzman. The maximum penalty for manslaughter is 20 years' imprisonment.

The guilty plea in the fatal stabbing, which prosecutors say was motivated by a failing marriage and Mr. Rodriguez's inability to deal with the prospect of being separated from his three children, came a day before his trial was scheduled to begin. Ms. Guzman had planned to raise a psychiatric defense on her client's behalf, according to court records.

Ms. Rodriguez, of 64 Tacoma St., suffered multiple stab wounds at the hands of her estranged husband, who then slashed his own throat, police said. Witnesses told investigators an argument preceded the stabbing in the hotel at 363 Plantation St., where Mr. Rodriguez worked as a dishwasher and his wife was employed in the housekeeping department.

Before the attack, police were looking for Mr. Rodriguez for an alleged violation of a restraining order his wife obtained against him Jan. 28, 2004, in Worcester Probate and Family Court. In seeking the order, Ms. Rodriguez alleged that her husband threatened to kill her 12 days earlier "because I do not want to be with him," according to court records.

The same day she obtained the protective order, Ms. Rodriguez filed a petition in Central District Court seeking her husband's involuntary commitment to a state Department of Mental Health facility for treatment of a longstanding heroin addiction. The petition was denied based on a recommendation by a court-designated forensic psychologist who evaluated Mr. Rodriguez and concluded he was not using drugs at that time.

In an affidavit in support of the requested commitment, Ms. Rodriguez said her husband, whose last known address was listed as 46 Tacoma St., was using heroin or methadone daily and becoming "very violent" at times. She said Mr. Rodriguez was also experiencing "mental problems."

A forensic psychologist who evaluated Mr. Rodriguez in court in March 2005 said the suspect reported a history of psychiatric treatment in Puerto Rico and also related that he had been experiencing auditory hallucinations for many years.

In addition to mental health evaluations of Mr. Rodriguez that were done at the behest of Ms. Guzman, the suspect was evaluated by an expert retained by the prosecution. Whether he was criminally responsible for his wife's slaying was expected to be a point of contention had his case gone to trial.

Mr. Rodriguez was given credit for 1,329 days he spent in custody awaiting the resolution of the murder charge.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: City man sentenced in wife's slaying