Death row inmate asks Fresno County Court for new sentence

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Nearly 30 years aft being sentenced to death, Jerry Rodriguez was backmost successful a Fresno County courtroom connected Tuesday. He is asking the justice for a caller sentence.

"Provide to maine a database of the things they judge I tin and should consider," Judge Heather Mardel Jones said.

In 1995, a assemblage convicted Rodriguez of robbing and sidesplitting teenagers AJ and Danny Hernandez.

They had paid Rodriguez $2,000 for customized rims from his Visalia tyre shop.

But alternatively of delivering those rims, investigators discovered Rodriguez kept the money, past hired a hitman to termination the cousins astatine an orchard adjacent Kingsburg.

"Both of them had immense personalities," household subordinate Richie Hernandez told Action News earlier this month. "Joyful, comic pranksters that truly loved their trucks."

At 21 years old, Rodriguez was sentenced to death.

Now, astatine 51, helium is asking the justice to instrumentality him disconnected decease row.

Since Rodriguez hired a hitman and did not propulsion the trigger himself, a 2018 instrumentality could support him if helium was not a "major participant" successful the crime.

It is an statement Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp tells Action News has nary merit.

"He was the catalyst. He was the 1 who acceptable it up. He is the 1 who made the payment," Smittcamp said. "He provided an inducement for the murderer to bash the murders. And so, however you could reason that he's not a main subordinate is beyond me."

What happens is present up to Judge Jones. On Tuesday, she was expected to perceive from a cardinal witness: the hitman hired to termination the boys.

Stanley Michael Skala has antecedently pleaded blameworthy to execution and admitted guilt decades ago.

But connected Tuesday, helium refused to reply questions.

"I person thing to say," Skala said. "I person thing to say."

The proceeding volition resume connected Wednesday greeting arsenic the tribunal decides however to proceed with Skala.

It each comes arsenic dozens of household members connected some sides person to relive the events of 30 years ago.

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