Christian Rodriguez Sentenced 15 Years To Life For Murder of Teen

Today, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced that a Third District Court judge sentenced Christian Rodriguez to 15 years to life for murder.

On September 10, 2022, Mr. Rodriguez attempted to steal a car occupied by a 17-year-old boy and his girlfriend. The victim’s girlfriend told police that there was a dark colored car following them on their way home from a party. When they pulled into the driveway, the dark colored vehicle pulled in behind them. The defendant got out of the car he was in and approached the victim and his girlfriend, while they were still in their car. The defendant yelled at them through the window to get out of the car; the victim and his girlfriend refused. The defendant then fired multiple shots into the driver’s side window, hitting and killing the victim. The defendant ran back to his car, and they sped off.

The defendant was sentenced on March 26, 2024 to 15 years to life for first-degree felony murder for the attempted carjacking.

“Random acts of violence have no place in our community. They will not be tolerated. This young man had his entire life ahead of him and his loss will be felt by his loved ones for many years. I hope this conviction brings some closure to his family,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. “I want to thank the Salt Lake City Police Department for their thorough investigation and for gathering the evidence necessary to secure this conviction. I also want to thank prosecutors Morgan Vedejs, Fred Burmester, and Lena Ward, along with our support staff, for their dedicated efforts.”