CAREER HOME INVADER

On Monday, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., announced the sentencing of WILLIAM RODRIGUEZ, 57, to 25-years-to-life in state prison for five home burglaries throughout Manhattan in late 2009. On April 28, 2014, RODRIGUEZ pleaded guilty to all 20 counts in the indictment against him: five counts of Burglary in the First Degree, five counts of Robbery in the First Degree, two counts of Robbery in the Second Degree, six counts of Kidnapping in the Second Degree, and two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child. The defendant is already serving a sentence of 20-years-to-life in state prison for burglarizing a West Village apartment in August 2012. He was convicted by a jury in New York State Supreme Court in that case, and was sentenced on March 19, 2014.

“William Rodriguez’s one-man crime spree in Manhattan residences has come to an end,” said District Attorney Vance. “This defendant’s conviction was the result of both time-tested traditional investigative work and modern forensic testing. He will now be spending the next few decades in prison for his myriad of crimes.”

As admitted in his guilty plea, on October 8, 2009, RODRIGUEZ followed a cleaning woman into a West Village apartment where she worked, choked her from behind, threw her to the bed, and punched her in the head several times. He then used a vacuum cleaner cord to bind her hands, neck, and feet. He stole computers, cash, and other property from the apartment, and left the victim tied up and bleeding from the head.

Later that month, on October 25, 2009, RODRIGUEZ illegally entered an apartment in Morningside Heights and hid behind the door until the residents – a mother and her 27-year-old daughter – came home. He threatened to kill them with a large knife, pushed them onto the floor, tied them up, and stole their computer, cash, and cell phone.

The following day, October 29, 2009, RODRIGUEZ pretended to be a delivery person and brought a fake package to an apartment in the West Village. When the nanny and a three-year-old child opened the door, the defendant forced his way inside with a knife. He threatened to kill the nanny, used her own shirt to tie her up next to the child, and stole a computer and camera equipment from the apartment.

Several days later, on November 2, 2009, RODRIGUEZ forced his way into the West Village apartment of an elderly woman while wielding a knife. He threw her to the floor as she started screaming, tied her up with a telephone cord, and stole her money. A neighbor chased the defendant out of the building, but was unable to apprehend him. The woman suffered bruises and cuts to her face.

Two days later, on November 4, 2009, RODRIGUEZ followed another nanny carrying a six-month-old child into an apartment on the Upper West Side. He pointed a knife at the nanny, tied her up, put the child on the bed, and stole as much property as he could carry.

In 2012, RODRIGUEZ committed another burglary in the West Village. As proven at trial, on August 23, 2012, the victim returned home to her apartment to find the bathroom skylight shattered and numerous items stolen from her apartment, including family heirloom jewelry and electronics. She noticed that a pair of pliers she had left in the greenhouse area had been moved to her couch. DNA found on the pliers led to RODRIGUEZ’s arrest for this burglary.

Assistant District Attorney Charles Whitt, Deputy Chief of Trial Bureau 60, handled the prosecution of the 2009 burglaries, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Bill Mahoney, Chief of Trial Bureau 60, and Executive Assistant District Attorney John Irwin, Chief of the Trial Division. Trial Preparation Assistant Jessica Goldberg and Detective Michael McCready from the NYPD’s Manhattan Robbery Squad provided valuable assistance with the case. Assistant District Attorney Melissa Mourges, Chief of the Forensic Sciences/Cold Case Unit, handled the 2009 cases’ evidentiary hearing. Assistant District Attorney Annie Siegel handled the prosecution of the 2012 burglary.

Defendant Information:

WILLIAM RODRIGUEZ, D.O.B. 3/7/1957
Bronx, NY

2009 Burglaries:

Convicted:
• Burglary in the First Degree, a class B felony, 5 counts
• Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony, 5 counts
• Robbery in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 2 counts
• Kidnapping in the Second Degree, a class B felony, 6 counts
• Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a class A misdemeanor, 2 counts

Sentenced:
• 25-years-to-life state prison

2012 Burglary:

Convicted:
• Burglary in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 1 count

Sentenced:
• 20-years-to-life state prison