Brandi Amber Rodriguez, a 43-year-old woman from Conover, NC, was tragically killed on October 13, 2019. She and her 24-year-old son, Jessie Rodriguez, were found shot to death inside a home on White Tail Circle in Conover. The suspect, Gonzalo Salinas-Cisneros, 24, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder. Salinas-Cisneros, who was living in the United States illegally, admitted to the murders during an interview with investigators.
The incident occurred late Sunday night, and deputies responded to the scene around 11:45 p.m. after reports of a shooting. Inside the home, deputies found the bodies of Brandi Rodriguez and her son, along with drugs and the murder weapon. A witness told investigators that Salinas-Cisneros and the victims had been smoking meth before the shooting. Salinas-Cisneros confessed to the murders, stating that he felt a "bad vibe" from the victims.
Salinas-Cisneros was taken into custody and later entered a guilty plea to two charges of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to serve a prison term of 26 to 33 years in the custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections. The motive for the murders remains under investigation, but officials have stated that it was not a domestic situation.
The case has left the community in shock, with friends and family mourning the loss of Brandi Rodriguez and her son. The Catawba County Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney's Office have worked diligently to bring the case to a conclusion, but the pain and grief experienced by the victims' loved ones continue.
