Defendant apologizes during sentencing in Bergen County homicide case
HACKENSACK — Dylan Rodriguez apologized Friday for his actions that led to the death of a Fairview man in 2019, as well as to the court and prosecutors for lying while on the stand.
Rodriguez was sentenced Friday to 13 years for aggravated manslaughter and an additional five years for perjury, having pleaded guilty in late February.
David Duque-Soto, a 23-year-old Fairview resident, was found fatally shot in June 2019 in a drug deal turned robbery that went wrong. Bullet casings from 9 mm and .32-caliber guns were found near his body, and he had signs of acute blunt force trauma.
Rodriguez initially faced weapon counts but was later charged with felony murder and perjury after the state said he lied during defendant Lexie Burke's trial. Evidence was found that showed he supplied one of the guns for the robbery.
Before he was sentenced, Rodriguez apologized for the "pain and suffering" he had caused Duque-Soto's family.
"I deeply regret my actions, and I often feel the weight of guilt on my shoulders, pulling me down," Rodriguez said.
He also apologized to Matt Fitzpatrick and Suzanne Cevasco, the assistant prosecutors, and Judge Margaret Foti, the judge in Burke's case, for lying on the standing during his testimony.
Rodriguez said he didn't want to be a criminal, bouncing in and out of prison, and wanted to be an asset to society. Rodriguez has a long criminal history that began when he was a juvenile.
Alicia Rodriguez told the court her son got caught up with the wrong crowd in high school and that as a young child, he was a curious, smart and funny person. She said she knew her son would do better and that when he was released from prison, she would be there to support him.
Rodriguez, his mother and his attorney, Nathan Kittner, asked for a reduced 10-year sentence for the aggravated manslaughter charge and for the five years for the perjury charge to run concurrently with the sentence, something Judge James Sattely did not approve.
Duque-Soto's mother and sister were at the sentencing, and his mother cried as she gave her victim impact statement through a Spanish translator. Despite Rodriguez's apology and his mother's pleas, she was not forgiving in her statement.
Duque-Soto's mother called Rodriguez a "terrible man" and said he was "the same as the other rats in jail."
"They took away the life of my son for a lousy $1,000," she said through her tears.
When handing down his sentence, Sattely told Rodriguez he hoped the young man would spend his time in prison using the resources provided to him to turn his life around.
Rodriguez is the fourth of five defendants involved with the killing of Duque-Soto to be sentenced. Burke, who masterminded the robbery gone wrong, is expected to be sentenced in the next few weeks. He pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in April 2022.
Raul Torres and Carlos Burgos, who the state said shot Duque-Soto just minutes after entering his Fourth Street apartment in Fairview. Torres and Burgos pleaded guilty in March 2023 to aggravated manslaughter and were sentenced in May 2023 to 30 years in prison.
Getaway driver David Martinez was sentenced on May 1, 2023, to 30 years after being found guilty of felony murder in March 2023, along with armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Fairview NJ shooting leads to sentencing of fourth person
