Elijah Montas, a 17-year-old Black male, was tragically shot and killed on December 10, 2016, in unincorporated Palm Beach County, Florida. The incident occurred during an alleged gun sale just east of Greenacres. Elijah Montas and another victim, Aaron Valle, were both fatally shot by Joel Rodriguez, who used the same gun to kill them as he had used in a previous murder of Dalton Dobkins a few weeks earlier.
Joel Rodriguez, who was 20 years old at the time of his arrest, was charged
with the murders of Elijah Montas and Aaron Valle. Rodriguez pleaded guilty to all three murders in 2019 and was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. His accomplice, Carlos Amaya Hernandez, who was present during the double homicide, also pleaded guilty in 2019 and received a 30-year prison sentence.
The investigation revealed that on the night of the murders, Elijah Montas was talking on his cellphone when Rodriguez approached him and shot him twice in the head. Rodriguez then turned his attention to Aaron Valle, who was cowering on the sidewalk, and shot him twice in the head and neck. This brutal act was part of a series of violent crimes committed by Rodriguez, who had also shot and killed Dalton Dobkins, an 18-year-old, during a robbery in Wellington on November 30, 2016.
Rodriguez's half-brother, Augustine Ricardo Rivera, was also implicated in the crimes. Rivera, who served as a lookout during the robbery and murder of Dalton Dobkins, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with a firearm and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The plea agreements were part of a broader effort to ensure that Rodriguez and his accomplices were held accountable for their actions while allowing Rivera to eventually take care of his family.
The families of the victims attended the court hearings but declined to comment publicly. Rodriguez expressed his condolences to the families through a statement read by his attorney in court. Despite his apology, the court proceedings underscored the gravity of his crimes and the impact on the victims' families.
