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Miguel Angel Rodriguez, now 40, was found guilty on Friday, Feb. 7 of first-degree murder, two counts of assault of a law enforcement officer, five counts of aggravated assault, four counts of reckless endangerment, and three counts of obstruction of justice, the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office said.
Rodriguez shot and killed 33-year-old Nemesis Florentino in the head inside his home on Swarr Run Road in East Hempfield Township in the early morning hours of Sept. 11, 2022, prosecutors said. He then video-called a friend and showed them her lifeless body before barricading himself inside.
When East Hempfield Township Police arrived, Rodriguez opened fire, triggering an hours-long standoff in which about 85 shots were fired both inside and outside the residence, authorities said.
A Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) officer eventually shot Rodriguez in the chest after he exited the home with a loaded semi-automatic rifle pointed at police. Officers later discovered Florentino’s body with two gunshot wounds to the head, according to investigators.
Remembering Nemesis Florentino
Florentino, a Lancaster resident, was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to Victoria Diaz and the late Juan Pablo Florentino, according to her obituary from Charles F. Snyder, Jr. Funeral Home & Crematory.
She was one semester away from earning her associate's degree at HACC and worked as an office manager for Nuestra Clinica SACA. Known for her vibrant personality, Florentino had a passion for helping others, loved shopping, traveling, and experiencing different cuisines, and was admired for her stylish sense of fashion.
She is survived by her mother, Victoria Diaz; her brother, Francisco Figueroa Diaz; her stepfather, Jorge Octavio; her cousin, Johanna Diaz, who was like a sister; and her second mother, Jacqueline Fisher, per the funeral home's obituary.
Funeral services were held on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, at Charles F. Snyder, Jr. Funeral Home & Crematory in Lititz, with interment following at Mellinger Mennonite Cemetery.
Following a five-day trial, jurors deliberated for nearly a full day before delivering a guilty verdict. Rodriguez is scheduled to be sentenced on April 14.
Assistant District Attorneys Kyle Linardo and Christopher Miller prosecuted the case. East Hempfield Township Officer Matthew Miller and Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Nelson Renno filed the charges.
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