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ORLANDO, Fla. – His marriage long ago went sour, his home taken in foreclosure, his job lost to incompetence, his finances sunk in bankruptcy. Everything Jason Rodriguez sought ended in failure. Except his alleged plot to kill.
The 40-year-old man whose life seemed to just keep getting worse was charged Saturday with murder, accused of killing one and wounding five Friday at his former office. He said nothing in his brief court appearance Saturday, but his attorney portrayed him as a mentally ill man who fell victim to countless problems.
“This guy is a compilation of the front page of the entire year – unemployment, foreclosure, bankruptcy, divorce – all of the stresses,” said Bob Wesley, the public defender. “He has been declining in mental health. There is no logic whatsoever, which points to a mental health case. It looks like a classic case of stress overload.”
Police refused to say anything more Saturday about their investigation into the shooting. But as Rodriguez remained on suicide watch at the Orange County Jail, a portrait of his crumbling life began to emerge.
He couldn’t pay the child support he owed for his 8-year-old son. He was nearly $90,000 behind on bills, his bankruptcy file showed. A once-promising, but short-lived career at an engineering firm faded into a job at a fast-food chain.
The suspect’s mother struggled Saturday for words to defend her son. She could only muster an apology.
“Sorry for the families involved,” Ana Rodriguez said. “I’m really very sorry, it is very hurtful.”
Identified as the single fatality was Otis Beckford, 26, the father of a 7-month-old daughter.
