Bio

Michael Anthony Rodriguez was born on October 29, 1962, in San Antonio, Texas. He grew up in a Hispanic family and attended Central Catholic High School, a private school in San Antonio. He had a seemly normal childhood, and he was known to be ambitious. After high school, Rodriguez worked hard to save money to open his own restaurant. He saved $9,000 and also received a loan of $15,000 from his father, who owned a convenience store.

Rodriguez opened a restaurant called Taco House, which became successful. By the early 1990s, he was doing well financially and living comfortably with his wife, Theresa. They had a nice house and drove a Mercedes-Benz. Rodriguez also enrolled in classes at Southwest Texas State University, planning to become a teacher.

Despite his success, Rodriguez's personal life took a dark turn. He started to express dissatisfaction with his marriage. He complained about his wife gaining weight and began to explore ways to get rid of her. Together with his brother Mark, who was involved in drug trafficking, Rodriguez plotted to murder Theresa in order to collect on her life insurance policies, which amounted to $300,000. They hired a hit man, Rolando Ruiz, to carry out the murder.

On October 1992, after several failed attempts, the plan was executed. While Michael and Theresa were returning home from a movie, Ruiz shot her as she got out of the car. Following the murder, Rodriguez behaved in a way that raised suspicions. He even went out drinking with friends on the night of his wife’s funeral. Eventually, he confessed to the police after Ruiz broke under pressure and revealed the details of their plot.

Rodriguez was sentenced to life in prison for the crime. While incarcerated at the Connally Unit in Texas, he became part of a group known as the Texas Seven, which included other convicted prisoners.

Murder Story

Michael Anthony Rodriguez was involved in a serious crime spree after escaping from a Texas prison in December 2000. He was part of a group known as the "Texas Seven." On December 24, 2000, they went to an Oshman's sporting goods store in Irving, Texas. As the store was closing, they took several employees hostage and stole about $70,000 in cash, firearms, and ammunition.

During their escape, they ran into Officer Aubrey Hawkins, who had responded to a call about suspicious activity at the store. The group opened fire on Hawkins, shooting him multiple times. He was shot 13 times in total, with six of those shots hitting him in the head. After shooting the officer, they dragged him from his patrol car and ran over him with their getaway vehicle.

The murder of Officer Hawkins shocked the community and led to a intense manhunt for the escapees. The Texas Seven managed to evade capture for a month, but they were eventually found in Colorado after a tip to law enforcement. After their arrest, Rodriguez admitted to pulling Officer Hawkins from the car and taking his weapon.

Rodriguez had previously been serving a life sentence for hiring a hitman to kill his wife, Theresa, in 1994. The circumstances surrounding her murder were also tragic and disturbing. Rodriguez was ultimately sentenced to death for his role in the murder of Officer Hawkins.

He was executed by lethal injection in Texas on August 14, 2008. Before his execution, he expressed remorse for his actions and sought forgiveness from the families affected by his crimes.