Rafael Rodriguez, at State Supreme Court in Queens where he is on trial for the murder of his mistress Wanda Romero in 2002. Her body was never found. (JESSE WARD/FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS)
A Queens man who fled the country for 13 years after his mistress went missing was sentenced to up to 27 years in prison for her presumed death.
“This was probably one of my most unusual cases I have had,” Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder said to Rafael Rodriguez before sending him to prison on Monday.
Rodriguez was convicted after a jury trial of causing the death of his mistress, Wanda Romero, in November 2002. The 26-year-old woman’s body was never found.
“A young woman — the victim’s daughter — was forced to grow up without her mother because of this defendant’s rage and brutality,” said Queens County District Attorney Richard Brown.
Rodriguez was found guilty of manslaughter, tampering with physical evidence, criminal contempt and bail jumping.
Romero was last seen with Rodriguez playing dominoes and drinking at a bodega in Queens.
Prosecutors tried to get Rodriguez to admit where Romero’s body was buried before the judge rendered the sentence on Monday, but he did not respond, a source said.
After Romero vanished, Rodriguez stuck around for a month and helped look for her before he ran to hide in the Dominican Republic, the appalled judge noted.
“You even went to help find her, but then in a split second you were gone! You left your job, you left your wife, you left your daughter, you left your home. For 14 years! Your reasons for staying away that long were without merit,” seethed Justice Holder.
Rodriguez, 47, testified through a Spanish interpreter that he left New York out of fear that Romero’s brothers would hurt him. Prior to Romero’s disappearance, Rodriguez had two criminal cases in which he was accused of assaulting her.
“It is my hope that this resolution provides the victim’s daughter — who will celebrate her birthday (Tuesday) again without her mother — and her other family members some closure and peace,” said Brown.
In April 2003, NYPD detectives went to the Dominican Republic, which at the time did not have an extradition agreement with the U.S., to question Rodriguez about Romero’s whereabouts and he gave them a road map to where her body was buried near Snake Road in Rosedale, and near his family’s house. But there was no body there.
A bench warrant was issued for Rodriguez’s arrest and he was busted in 2015 attempting to go to Panama.
“This was probably one of my most unusual cases I have had,” Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder said to Rafael Rodriguez before sending him to prison on Monday.
Rodriguez was convicted after a jury trial of causing the death of his mistress, Wanda Romero, in November 2002. The 26-year-old woman’s body was never found.
“A young woman — the victim’s daughter — was forced to grow up without her mother because of this defendant’s rage and brutality,” said Queens County District Attorney Richard Brown.
Rodriguez was found guilty of manslaughter, tampering with physical evidence, criminal contempt and bail jumping.
Romero was last seen with Rodriguez playing dominoes and drinking at a bodega in Queens.
Prosecutors tried to get Rodriguez to admit where Romero’s body was buried before the judge rendered the sentence on Monday, but he did not respond, a source said.
After Romero vanished, Rodriguez stuck around for a month and helped look for her before he ran to hide in the Dominican Republic, the appalled judge noted.
“You even went to help find her, but then in a split second you were gone! You left your job, you left your wife, you left your daughter, you left your home. For 14 years! Your reasons for staying away that long were without merit,” seethed Justice Holder.
Rodriguez, 47, testified through a Spanish interpreter that he left New York out of fear that Romero’s brothers would hurt him. Prior to Romero’s disappearance, Rodriguez had two criminal cases in which he was accused of assaulting her.
“It is my hope that this resolution provides the victim’s daughter — who will celebrate her birthday (Tuesday) again without her mother — and her other family members some closure and peace,” said Brown.
In April 2003, NYPD detectives went to the Dominican Republic, which at the time did not have an extradition agreement with the U.S., to question Rodriguez about Romero’s whereabouts and he gave them a road map to where her body was buried near Snake Road in Rosedale, and near his family’s house. But there was no body there.
A bench warrant was issued for Rodriguez’s arrest and he was busted in 2015 attempting to go to Panama.
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