Naman Shrestha
Frank Rodriguez worked as a teacher in Montebello, California, and impacted many students’ lives. Thus, when he unexpectedly passed away in September 2000, the entire community was left shell-shocked by the tragedy. When the detectives investigated the mysterious death, they uncovered a shocking, deadly plot that led them to the perpetrator. The episode titled ‘Flowers on the Road’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Til Death Do Us Part’ delves deep into the murder case and the investigation that followed.
Frank Rodriguez’s Manner and Cause of Death Remained Inconclusive For Months
The beloved son of Janet Jean Rodriguez Baker, Jose Francisco Rodriguez Jr., AKA Frank, was welcomed into the world on February 17, 1959. While he was born in New London in the eponymous county in Connecticut, Frank and his six siblings, including a sister, Carmen Pipitone, were raised in Lincoln, Illinois. As the second of the siblings, he took on a responsible and supportive role in the family. He was known for his warmhearted, hardworking, and resilient nature. In his youth, Frank developed a desire to enroll in the Navy. He pursued his passion and went on to serve in the Army National Guard. After over a decade of service, the Navy veteran settled down in San Luis Obispo, California.
Frank’s wish to serve the community led him to serve at Angel Gate Academy, a military-style boot camp associated with the Army National Guard for at-risk or troubled youths who needed guidance in life. It was in the academy that his paths crossed with Angelina, a single mother. As the two hailed from the military, they formed a bond and soon realized what they had was special. In April 2000, Angelina and Frank tied the knot in a small, intimate gathering. She was nearly 10 years her junior and had been married thrice before. After their wedding, the pair reportedly began building their life in Montebello, a suburb in Los Angeles County.
Frank had secured a job as a math teacher and was a reputed member of the community. It had not even been a year since their marriage when tragedy struck the Rodriguez household. On September 9, 2000, a distressed Angelina requested the police to come to their residence, concerning Jose Francisco “Frank” Rodriguez’s health. While the authorities rushed to his home, the 41-year-old was found dead, with no signs of trauma on his remains. Thus, the cause of his death remained undetermined for several months. In late January 2001, the medical examiner’s officer found a lethal amount of antifreeze in his system, which was the cause of his death.
The Killer of Frank Rodriguez Tried to Pin the Murder on One of His Colleagues
Since the initial autopsy failed to provide any answers, the detectives interviewed Frank Rodriguez’s family and friends in order to learn about the circumstances surrounding his tragic demise. His wife, Angelina Rodriguez, claimed that he had been sick in the weeks prior to his death. Their theory of his death being an accident was soon debunked by Angelina, who claimed that Frank’s coworker at Angel Gate Academy, Chad Holloway, could be a potential suspect as the two were allegedly feuding. In light of her claims, the detectives interviewed several people in the academy, and Chad was cleared as a suspect. Soon after Frank’s funeral, his sister Carmen Pipitone reached out to the police and claimed that Angelina had made a strange comment at the service that a toxic plant called oleander could be the reason for his death.
As suspicions about Frank’s wife grew, the authorities pretended to be on her side. Meanwhile, the medical examiner’s office began checking Frank’s system for oleander. While digging deep into Angelina’s life, her friend, Palmira Gorham, alleged that she was bored with Frank and also joked about killing her husband. The wife had also been trying to take out Frank’s $250,000 life insurance policy, but was unable to because there was no death certificate, which couldn’t be made without a cause of death. In 1993, she was also accused of killing her 13-month-old daughter by choking her on a pacifier. In October, Angelina claimed she received an anonymous call with a tip that Chad had mentioned antifreeze. When the detectives went through her phone records, they couldn’t find any such phone call.
Three months later, it was determined that Frank’s system contained a deadly amount of antifreeze. In order to gather incriminating evidence against Angelina, the investigators worked with Chad Holloway, who was instructed to hold several recorded phone calls with her. After she made various statements that implicated herself during the calls, the authorities arrested Angelina in Paso Robles, California, in February 2001. While maintaining her innocence, the accused reportedly tried to get her friend, Palmira, killed before her trial to prevent her from testifying. Once the authorities learned about it, they faked her death with the help of an undercover officer and made Angelina believe that Palmira was dead.
Angelina Rodriguez is Currently Incarcerated at a California Prison Facility
In the fall of 2003, Angelina Rodriguez stood trial for killing her husband, Frank Rodriguez, in 2000. During the trial, the prosecution told the jury that she tried poisoning Frank with oleander before mixing a lethal dosage of antifreeze into his drink. They also referred to the allegations of her being involved in her daughter’s death, claiming that she had a financial motive for that case, as well as Frank’s murder. In the end, the jury found Angelina guilty of first-degree murder, attempt to dissuade a witness, and murder for financial gain, but not guilty of soliciting murder.
A few months later, on January 12, 2004, the convict was sentenced to death by lethal injection. However, Angelina continued maintaining her innocence and alleged that Frank had died by suicide by antifreeze poisoning. In 2010, the killer received a new sentencing hearing, but it also resulted in the death penalty. Her appeal to get her death penalty reduced was denied as the California Supreme Court upheld the sentence on February 20, 2014. A decade later, she was awarded a new sentencing hearing. She was ultimately resentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. As of today, 57-year-old Angelina Rodriguez is serving her sentence at Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, California.
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