Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Coral Gables, FL: Fugitive charged in slaying of American Airlines worker

May 24, 2011|By Danielle A. Alvarez and Juan Ortega, Sun Sentinel


A fugitive recently extradited from New Jersey to South Florida has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of his live-in girlfriend, an American Airlines employee, court records show.

The murder charge against Joel Rodriguez, 49, who also worked for the airline, is the latest development in the case of Ruth Delia Fuentes, 49. She was found shot in the head and chest in their Coral Gables home on Jan. 21, the records show.

During police questioning after his capture in February, Rodriguez said he and Fuentes were arguing at home on Jan. 18, possibly the night she was killed, but he didn't remember whether he had killed her, according to a police affidavit.

He told police he "blacked out" that night, and when he recovered, he drove to Miami Beach to buy some drugs and then trekked to New Jersey, where his relatives and ex-wife live. Then he checked himself into a mental facility in Philadelphia.

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