Attempted Murder Sentencing

WCDA Releases Sentencing Results on 2018 Attempted Murder and Sexual Assault Case

Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks has released the sentencing result of an attempted murder with a deadly weapon prosecution that also involved a charge of attempted sexual assault.  Christian Anthony Rodriguez 26, from Reno was charged with the brutal 2018 attack of a 24 year old Reno woman at a South Reno apartment.  Rodriguez pled guilty in May to one count of Attempted Murder with use of a Deadly Weapon and one count of Attempted Sexual Assault. He was sentenced this week to three consecutive 20 years sentences. Based on the sentences, a minimum of 20 years must be served before parole eligibility begins.     

The case against Rodriguez began on September 16, 2018 when the Reno Police Department (RPD) responded to the report of a battery between a Reno couple.  When RPD Officers arrived they located a female victim with apparent stab wounds to her upper chest.  The victim also had a large amount of dried blood over her neck, head and clothing and was having trouble breathing.  Significant blood was also located within the victim’s apartment.  The victim was transported to a local hospital where she was treated for numerous life-threatening injuries, to include a stab wound to her chest that collapsed her lung, stab wounds that pierced her spinal cord and created a hematoma of her carotid artery and several other slashing wounds. During the assault, the victim was also sexually assaulted.  The victim identified Rodriguez as the suspect and told police that after she threatened to leave him he grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed her numerous times and then forced her to remain in the apartment for over five hours, preventing her from calling police or going to the hospital.  RPD detectives arrested Rodriguez a short time later at a convenience store in Fernley.  

At sentencing, Chief Deputy District Attorney Kossow argued that the defendant demonstrated his violent nature by the cold calculated method by which he stabbed the victim and then watched her suffer for hours before allowing her to call for help.