The county district attorney’s office has released an explanation regarding the recent sentence for the Pismo Beach stabbing death.
The DA’s office says they are releasing this due to community questions about why the DA’s office agreed to involuntary manslaughter charges for 35-year-old Andrew Rodriguez. Rodriguez was accused of murdering Jonathan Perez in Pismo Beach initially, but as the investigation continued, the DA’s office says there was “significant ambiguity in the evidence regarding the circumstances of the stabbing.”
While the DA’s office says they are unable to share all of the facts, because the evidence could not prove first or second degree murder beyond a reasonable doubt, charges were amended alleging involuntary manslaughter. The DA’s office explains that first degree murder occurs when a killing is committed with deliberation and specific methods. Second degree murder is when an individual intends to kill, or when they engage with behavior with a high likelihood of causing death and are personally aware of a likely lethal outcome. Voluntary manslaughter implies a provoked killing, acting rashly under the influence of intense emotion. And involuntary manslaughter occurs when a person commits a crime with “criminal negligence” that results in death; acting in a way that creates a high risk of death or great bodily injury.
Rodriguez plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter, and has been sentenced.
