By MELINDA J. OVERSTREET
Glasgow News 1
The man accused of fatally shooting Glasgow resident Melissa Miller outside her home in May 2021 has entered a guilty plea following a mediation session last week for the case in which he’s been charged with murder.
Aaron Rodriguez is accused of coming to Glasgow on the premise that he – under a false name – planned to buy electronic equipment that had been posted for sale on social media by Miller’s grandson and then firing a gun at Miller from the passenger seat of a vehicle driven by a female. Miller was transported to T.J. Samson Community Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased, according to the criminal complaint in the case.
Commonwealth’s Attorney John Gardner told Glasgow News 1 on Monday that Rodriguez participated in the mediation Thursday, and the case was resolved with his agreeing to plead guilty to murder and first-degree robbery.
The recommended sentence is a total of 40 years – 40 for murder and 10 for the robbery charge, to be served concurrently – and a $1,000 fine and court costs, according to court documents. Final sentencing before Circuit Judge John T. Alexander has been set for March 29.
Rodriguez would have to serve at least 20 years, including time already served, before he would be eligible to be considered for parole. He has been lodged in the Barren County Detention Center since his arrest June 9, 2021.
Had the case gone to trial, Gardner intended to prosecute the case with the death penalty as an option.
Over the course of the fall, questions regarding Rodriguez’ mental health had come into play, with defense attorney Wesley Boyarski noting at a September pretrial conference that if it were determined that her client suffers from a serious mental illness, it would preclude the death penalty. Gardner said at the time that the statute in question says the defendant has to have a documented history and diagnosis, plus he has to have had active symptoms of the mental illness at the time of the incident.
That September proceeding centered around getting a mental-health evaluation requested by the commonwealth ordered and scheduled, but it was expected that it could be several months before the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center would be able to get that done. While there, Rodriguez was also to be evaluated for his competency to stand trial.
The defense team had already had an evaluation done with its own expert, but that person had only provided an oral report of his findings, which included a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, a type of mood disorder, according to the attorneys’ exchange in September. The commonwealth has asked for a copy of that written report once it is available along with all the supporting documentation provided to that expert that may have been used to reach conclusions.
In November, Gardner said that one lingering issue was the provision of those materials from the defense, but he agreed to a deadline of Jan. 8 for them to get him those copies.
“And we also agreed to mediate this case,” he said then.
Retired Circuit Judge Phillip Patton, who also still works as a special senior judge in cases where there are conflicts of interest with the usual judge, served as the mediator.
The trial had been scheduled to begin Jan. 30 and go for multiple weeks. In November, Boyarski said she had spoken with someone at KCPC Sept. 30, and they had received the order for the evaluation three days prior to that, but it still would be 12 to 15 months before they could get to him.
“So, with that being said, I think that we are not going to make our trial date, your honor,” she said.
The parties agreed to wait and see whether mediation brought a resolution before scheduling new trial dates.
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