Bio

Anthony Shawn Medina was born on November 5, 1974. Medina lived in Harris County, Texas. Court records connected him to the La Raza-13 gang, and prosecutors described the shooting as part of a gang-related conflict.

By January 1996, Medina was 21 years old. He was in a car with others on the night of the shooting, and witnesses said he had access to the Russian SKS rifle used in the attack.

Murder Story

Shortly after midnight on January 1, 1996, the Rodriguez family and their friends were outside a Harris County home celebrating the New Year. Anthony Shawn Medina drove past the home and fired a Russian SKS rifle into the front yard. The shots hit people, vehicles, and the house.

Three people were struck. Rocio Pedrosa was shot and survived. Eight-year-old David Rodriguez and his 13-year-old sister, Diane Rodriguez, were both killed. The shooting was investigated as a gang-related drive-by attack. Medina was arrested about four days later and later tried in Harris County.

In August 1996, Medina was convicted of capital murder. On September 13, 1996, he was sentenced to death. Medina appealed, but the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals upheld his conviction and death sentence on June 2, 1999. He continued filing appeals afterward, but he remains on Texas death row.