Omar Rodriguez, 75, who was convicted of killing his neighbor, Jose Rey, during an argument over dog droppings, yelled at the victim's widow during his sentencing hearing Thursday, according to video footage obtained by the Miami Herald.
The sentencing, held in a Miami-Dade County courtroom, was dramatic, video footage shows, with the defendant heard yelling at the victim's wife, Reset Ray, as she read the sentence.
“The coward is your husband,” Rodriguez yells. “And that's why I killed him… He cried like a baby.”
Footage shows the man becoming enraged and then being escorted out of the courtroom by officers.
Rodriguez was convicted of second-degree murder and aggravated assault in May after a jury deliberated for six hours, according to the release. NBC MiamiThe second charge involved Rodriguez allegedly threatening Ray's wife during the incident. (RELATED: 'Kiss My Ass': Video Shows Defendant Spitting Out Foul Language At Judge)
The incidents allegedly began in 2015 when Ray and his wife were walking their dog near Rodriguez's son's home. Miami HeraldWitnesses said Rodriguez was following the couple in his car while they were walking, and that Ray confronted him after he reportedly found Ray's son's dog defecating in his yard, according to the outlet.
According to the Miami Herald, Ray locked his dog inside the home. Witnesses called authorities to say that when Ray returned, Rodriguez was shirtless and in a fighting stance. Police said Ray shot him three times while Ray backed away with his hands up, according to the Herald.
Witnesses told police that Rodriguez had threatened Ray's wife when she tried to help her husband, according to the outlet. The victim reportedly died a few days after the incident. Rodriguez had previously harassed neighbors, the outlet said.
Rodriguez argued he acted in self-defense and tried to invoke Florida's “just defense” law, but that argument was rejected by a judge in 2021, NBC Miami reported. Rodriguez also alleged that Ray had brandished a knife at him, according to the outlet. Prosecutors reportedly said the defendant had placed the weapon at the scene and tried to force it into the victim's hand.
During the trial, Lysette Ray expressed hostility toward the defendant. Miami Herald “I pray he spends the rest of his pathetic life in prison,” she reportedly told the judge. “He's a narcissistic piece of shit.”
“I'm happy,” Lysette told reporters in a video conference, “but I wish there had been a death sentence, because at the end of the day, Mr. Rodriguez can continue to see his family. They can visit him. I'll never see my husband again. So where's the justice? At least he's in prison and he can't hurt other people.”
