FARMINGTON — The man responsible for a Christmas Day slaying last year pleaded guilty to capital murder Monday but will be spared the death penalty and could possibly be paroled someday.
Jose Juan Valle Rodriguez, 32, admitted in court that he kidnapped, beat and slit the throat of his companion, Luis M. Martinez, 28, in an execution-style slaying after the two of them had consumed vast quantities of alcohol and methamphetamine.
Martinez's body was found near I-84 on the border of Davis and Weber counties. His eyes and nose had been taped shut with duct tape and his hands bound behind him.
Second District Judge Glen Dawson accepted the plea agreement, which dismisses a first-degree felony kidnapping charge and removes the death penalty. Instead, Rodriguez admitted being guilty of aggravated murder.
While prosecutor Mike DiReda said his office is not seeking life in prison without parole, the agreement calls for Rodriguez to serve at least 20 years in prison before the Board of Pardons could look at his case.
Prosecutors took into consideration the extreme violence and overall nature of the crime in lodging the charges.
Defense attorney James Valdez said there was no excuse for the murder but said the circumstances of Rodriguez's extremely troubled childhood may explain to some extent why he acted so violently. Rodriguez was raised by uncles who sexually abused him. He fled home early and lived as a "street urchin" in Mexico, fending off physical and sexual abuse, Valdez said.
As a child of the streets, Rodriguez sniffed glue and consumed meth, often was victimized by others including being beaten to the point of unconsciousness, and one medical professional in the United States suggested Rodriguez may have suffered damage to the frontal lobe of his brain which governs impulse control, Valdez said. Rodriguez also may be suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome from a lifetime of abuse.
Both Rodriguez and Martinez, who were in the U.S. illegally, held jobs and were living in Weber County at the time of the murder.
Speaking through a Spanish language interpreter, Rodriguez on Monday responded quietly each time the judge questioned him about giving up his rights to a trial and instead admit his guilt.
Sentencing is set for Sept. 20.
E-mail: lindat@desnews.com