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A Washington state murder case took a wild turn after a juror who helped convict a man in a fatal stabbing is now accused of carrying out a brutal knife attack of his own just days later, allegedly telling victims he was “sent by Jesus.”
Kevin Rodriguez, 35, was convicted April 10 of second-degree murder in the 2019 killing of 56-year-old Evodio Garcia Martinez, along with two counts of assault, according to reporting from The Seattle Times. Prosecutors said Rodriguez used butcher knives in the attack. According to the Monroe Police Department, he was found inside the apartment covered in blood and armed with knives, and was subdued by others at the scene.
Now, his attorneys are seeking a new trial, arguing in court filings that one of the jurors, identified as “Juror 14,” was arrested three days later in connection with a brutal home invasion stabbing in Everett.
According to The Seattle Times, the motion alleges that juror is a 20-year-old man accused of forcing his way into a townhome and stabbing multiple victims.
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Police tape surrounds a crime scene in Everett, Washington, after a violent stabbing incident that defense attorneys claim involved a juror from a recent murder trial. (FOX 13 Seattle)
The disturbing details of that attack were outlined in court documents obtained by FOX 13 Seattle, which said the suspect told victims he was “sent by Jesus” and claimed to be the “right hand of Jesus” during the attack.
Authorities say the suspect, identified in local reporting as Connor Wohlleben and described as a “friend of a friend,” showed up at the home, banged on the door, and forced his way inside when someone answered. Once inside, he allegedly headed upstairs with a knife and began attacking the victims.
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Investigators say a 45-year-old mother and her 18-year-old daughter were stabbed, while a third family member, a 22-year-old woman, managed to stop the attack by putting the suspect in a chokehold until deputies arrived.
“Absolutely courageous of the 22-year-old,” Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Courtney O’Keefe said, adding that her actions “potentially saved the lives of her family members and herself,” according to FOX 13.
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Police tape surrounds a crime scene in Everett, Washington after a violent stabbing incident that defense attorneys claim involved a juror from a recent murder trial. (FOX 13 Seattle)
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Deputies responding to the scene recovered a knife, and the suspect was arrested on suspicion of burglary and two counts of first-degree assault. He was later booked into jail, where bail was set at $500,000, according to jail records.
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The suspect was allegedly involved in a stabbing trial days before the alleged knife attack. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed the April 13 stabbing, but has not publicly confirmed that the suspect is the same individual who served on the Rodriguez jury.
However, Rodriguez’s defense claims the accused attacker is “Juror 14” and is asking the court to order an evidentiary hearing to examine the juror’s mental state during the trial and deliberations. The motion also alleges juror misconduct and raises broader concerns about the integrity of the verdict, according to The Seattle Times.
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Rodriguez’s case has already gone through years of legal challenges. He was previously convicted of manslaughter in 2021, but that conviction was overturned on appeal, leading to the retrial earlier this month, according to local reports.
Rodriguez’s attorney, Karim Merchant, told PEOPLE that “the juror’s arrest is not the only reason we are requesting a new trial.”
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He is currently scheduled to be sentenced on May 13.
Fox News has reached out to the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and Rodriguez’s defense attorney for comment.