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Alejandro Vargas-Diaz, age 41, was sentenced to 23 years to life behind bars in Suffolk County Court on Wednesday, Oct. 11, for fatally shooting Albert Luis Rodriguez-Lopez in July 2018.
According to the Suffolk County DA’s office, the two men got into an argument inside a pool hall in Port Jefferson on July 22, 2018. During the altercation, Rodriguez-Lopez punched Vargas-Diaz in the face, knocking him to the ground.
Vargas-Diaz admitted that he later ambushed the victim, shooting him in the back, neck, and shoulder. Rodriguez-Lopez, of Selden, died at the scene.
Following the murder, Vargas-Diaz fled the state. He was finally arrested in Flagler County, Florida in June 2021 after someone gave a tip to Crime Stoppers.
Suffolk County Police detectives found the murder weapon, a 9mm pistol, a month after the killing hidden in a tree at the Setauket Port Jefferson Greenway Trail.
Vargas-Diaz pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon in July 2023.
“This sentence should be a warning to all those who think they could escape responsibility for murder simply by fleeing the jurisdiction,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
“Law enforcement in Suffolk County does not forget. Your crimes will catch up to you and you will be held responsible for your actions. This defendant’s prison sentence attests to that.”
In addition to his prison term, Vargas-Diaz must also complete five years of post-release supervision.
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