An Oklahoma man killed his wife and evaded authorities for six years. Now, he will never walk free again.
A Tulsa District Court judge sentenced Jose Gomez-Baca, 32, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the shooting death of his wife, Elizabeth Rodriguez. Gomez-Baca pleaded guilty to first-degree murder after he was extradited from Mexico.
“After having to endure six long years of wondering where their daughter’s murderer was hiding, we hope this result will bring some closure to Elizabeth’s family,” said Tulsa County Assistant District Attorney John Tjeerdsma, according to 2 News Oklahoma.
On June 22, 2017, Tulsa Police Department responded to a car near 2nd and Memorial after reports of a deadly shooting outside a home. Rodriguez's mother and brother, who were in the car when the fatal incident happened, told authorities the defendant ambushed them upon their arrival at the house. Soon, they told investigators, Gomez-Baca stepped out of hiding and shot his wife twelve times at point-blank range while she sat in the car before he fled the scene in a gray 2004 Dodge Ram. Rodriguez died in the arms of her mother while the couple’s children were inside the house.
According to prosecutors, a day before the fatal incident, the defendant had called the police to report his wife missing, but they later determined she left their home voluntarily due to domestic disputes. Despite efforts by the police to apprehend Gomez-Baca, he managed to evade authorities for six years until U.S. Marshalls, with the help of Mexican authorities, nabbed the defendant while getting off work in a machine shop in Tecomán, Colima.
During the sentencing hearing, Gomez-Baca apologized to his wife’s family.
"Their mother is gone, and their dad is gone. They will never see either one of them again. I love them both with all my heart, and I can’t believe their father would do this to my sister — his wife — and not even think about his kids," said the victim’s brother, Gilberto Rodriguez, reported FOX News.
The judge described the murder as an ultimate act of selfishness.
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