Stefanie J. Salavantis, district attorney of Luzerne County, pressed criminal charges against Jafet Rodriguez for the murder of Ashokkumar Patel, which happened on December 12, 2020 at Craig’s Food Mart in Hazleton.
In addition to an open-count of criminal homicide Rodriguez was also charged with one count each of robbery, burglary and theft.
On the night of December 12, around 9PM, Patel working as a clerk at Craig's Food mart, was mopping the floor when Rodriguez entered the store dressed in a red Nike sweatshirt. He also wore black gloves, a black face mask printed with a white smiling teeth design, and had his hood pulled up over his head.
Immediately after entering the store, he shoved Patel to a closet and fired a round in his head and neck area. Patel collapsed and the attacker grabbed loose cash and a bank deposit bag before leaving the store.
However, Patel did not die on the spot, as he managed to drag himself to the counter and reached out for his cellphone and dialed 911 for help. But unfortunately because of the gunshot he bled out before providing any details.
The forensic pathologist who performed an autopsy on December 14, said the cause of death was single gunshot wound to the head and neck area and was a case of homicide.
District attorney Salavantis added that Rodriguez’s arrest for murder resulted from diligent and collaborative work among multiple law enforcement agencies and the prosecutors and detectives of the DA’s Office.
“All murders are senseless acts of violence but in all of my years as district attorney, the murder of Ashokkumar Patel struck a chord with myself, my staff, the police, and the community like few others have,” said Salavantis.
“On the night he was killed, Mr. Patel did not even have time to resist or call for help before he was shot and left for dead. In his last few moments, he fought for his life the only way he could—crawling for his cell phone and dialing 911—which was ultimately a futile effort,” she added.
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)