It is her face that we want to remember, not his.
It’s her name we may never have known, if not for his deviance.
It’s the pictures of a bright, beautiful young woman whose eyes brimmed happiness and contentment, a joy almost enviable.
The face of a girl who had a promising life ahead of her.
A wonderful daughter, a good college student, an American sweetheart.
An unwitting victim who on November 22, 2003 never saw the devil lurking behind her until it was too late.
Her name is Dru Sjodin and she was only 22 years old.
Within days of her disappearance, Alfonso Rodriquez, Jr. became a prime suspect. Why? Because he had recently, very recently, been released from a Minnesota Correctional Facility after serving out a 23-year conviction for the abduction, knifing, and raping of another young woman. Technically his incarceration time had run out, legally this sexual predator was a free man. Could we have prevented it? Somewhere along the line, yes but we failed and unfortunately, Dru became his fourth known victim. The offenses he committed against her, before her taking her life, are unspeakable, and yet typical of this …criminal.
The evidence was there long before Dru was found and brought back to her family, and there was no reason to hesitate in getting this monster back off the streets. In June 2006 Alfonso Rodriquez, Jr. was sentenced to death by a jury of …well normal peers – (cant quite say his peers unless we load the jury box with sexual predators) for the horrific crimes and murder of that young woman who had every cause to believe she was safe and was looking forward to another day.
He pleas a pardon of the death sentence, doesn’t mind life behind bars, and why would he? That’s where he thrives. He’s mentally incorporated to the prison mentality. He doesn’t want to die, he’s happy behind prison walls, in a sense he has it made. He just wants others to die.
On February 12th, 2008, Alfonso’s court appointed attorneys came to the United States 8th Circuit Court of Appeals to argue against his death sentence. It seems the jury should never have heard that he has a propensity to violate helpless, unknowing women chosen randomly quite grotesquely and violently. No the pattern should not been permitted. That’s how these horrific things happen to begin with – our own stupidity. Ok, so Robert Hoy, his attorney points out to the paneled Judges that the Federal Death Penalty requires proof of aggravating factors. Now this means, reason to believe he would heinously kill. That would mean that there would have to be evidence that he, in previous crimes caused seriously bodily injury.
Ok, 3 previous victims he kidnaps. All 3 sexually violated so you know threats were imminent. I believe a weapon to my knowledge in all cases; however he physically used that weapon to maim one victim, leaving her to die. All victims’ bodies tossed around as if they were rag dolls and not someone, or someone’s child and abandoned in a creek bed, left to die. Excuse me, what about any of that, does not suit the definition of aggravating factors.
Add, that he does not feel that he was judged fairly by a jury of his peers. Who does this monster think his peers are? Should we have gathered all Hispanic people to fill the jury box? I am pretty sure, that Hispanics look at him and judge him equally the same as the rest of us do. That he is an expense we can just do without, a disgusting, pathetic wimpy little man whose life is matterless. What he has done, and the choices he has made, makes Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. an irrelevant human being. Cry on my shoulder, Mrs. Rodriguez that your son was sexually abused as a child- it was your responsibility to help and protect him but you failed. But, good mom, sit at his slimy little side and make excuses for what he has done. I don’t care about the pesticides since apparently mom and everyone knew they affected him as a young child and well ignored it. It wasn’t an issue until he actually finally took someone’s life. Our system failed just as bad, it’s an ugly blemish- his commitment should have been wrapped up and he should have never walked the city streets again.
He was a victim of racism- well, a lot of people experience that, in even worse proportion and they don’t kill, especially not for sport! It is – dog ate my homework excusable, ridiculous. So he suffered poverty, so lets give him a break…hmmm, well a whole lot of poor people surviving and people have survived it before- keep digging though maybe you can find an excuse that hasn’t been tried. …this pathetic little creature of a human being wants not only empathy, but life.
Whether you believe in the death penalty or not, I believe that certain cases warrant it. Only certain crimes, meeting very specific criteria should the death penalty be even a consideration. All evidence must prove guilt, unless the offender requests execution – then we have to force him to die slowly behind those walls. In this case, the image of his creepy little face screams execute. Push to the top of the list- give this not another moment. There is true sadness when a person loses their sense of humanity and evil becomes primal. Alfonso Rodriguez, jr. – when will you stop victimizing Dru’s family and loved one’s? When will you stop bringing the spotlight back on you? When will you quit wasting our state’s much needed money, to preserve yourself? Is there no conscience to you at all?
Innocence Deprived
