Pennsylvania Gambler Who Used Skull Mask in Fatal Robbery Gets Life

Key Points:

Clerk shot dead after a $14,000 robbery at a convenience store.
The assailant wore a skull mask and left the victim to call for help.
The store faces legal action for running an unsafe, illegal gaming operation.

Jafet Rodriguez, a known gambler and local drug dealer from Hazleton, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole for killing a convenience store clerk during a robbery. The violent act occurred while Rodriguez wore a frightening mask featuring white skull teeth.

Jafet Rodriguez was captured on security video, left, wearing a face mask with white skull teeth just moments before he shot and killed store clerk Ashokkumar Patel. — Jafet Rodriguez captured on security video moments before the fatal shooting of Ashokkumar Patel. (Image: Luzerne County Sheriff’s Office)

Rodriguez was sentenced on a Thursday morning, and at 44 years of age, is expected to die in prison. He was a regular at the gaming machines located in Craig’s Food Mart, where Patel had started working just a week prior to his murder.

Ashokkumar Patel was a dedicated father of three, originally from India, working to support his family. Tragically, on that fateful night of December 12, 2020, he was forcibly shoved into a closet and shot dead by Rodriguez in what prosecutors have described as a premeditated act.

Details of the Crime

During the trial, it was revealed that Rodriguez had incurred heavy gambling losses leading up to the robbery, even though he had previously won about $3,000 earlier that month. This knowledge likely informed his decision to target the store for its cash reserves, which were kept with minimal security.

In a poignant statement before sentencing, Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Vough remarked on the needless violence of the crime, stating “You took someone’s life for money.” Witnesses testified that Patel managed to crawl toward the phone to call for help after being shot, an act that underscored the horror of the crime.

Rodriguez was apprehended in January 2021. Investigators discovered multiple mobile phones and nearly $3,000 in cash at his residence. Tracking data showed that one device had moved between his home and the convenience store shortly before the killing. Further forensic evidence linked Rodriguez to the crime scene, with DNA recovered from clothing found at his car wash that matched Patel’s blood.

Legal Proceedings Following the Incident

The victim’s family has not only endured a personal tragedy but has also initiated legal action against the convenience store’s owner, Sunoco, along with other associated companies. They claim that the business operated as an unsafe mini-casino without the necessary security protocols required for legal operations. The family argues that the skill gaming machines in the store are illegal, a point that is currently under dispute in Pennsylvania and forms part of ongoing litigation.

The civil trial is set to begin on November 3 in Philadelphia against the manufacturers and suppliers of the gaming machines involved in the incident, highlighting the complex legal landscape surrounding gambling operations in the state.

This case serves as a grim reminder of the potential violence associated with illegal gambling operations and the tragic consequences for those involved.

Conclusion: The life sentence given to Jafet Rodriguez illustrates the severe repercussions of violent crime, particularly when it intersects with the world of gambling. As the civil trial unfolds, it may shed further light on the regulatory shortcomings that allowed such a tragic event to occur.