On the evening of December 12, 2020, Ashokkumar Patel, a 50-year-old male immigrant from India, was working as a clerk at Craig's Food Mart on Broad Street in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. He had only been in the job for a week. While mopping the floor, he was ambushed in what would be a fatal armed robbery.
The assailant, later identified as Jafet De Jesus Rodriguez, 44, was a frequent gambler at the video gaming machines in the store.
Prosecutors believe that because of his familiarity with the establishment, Rodriguez knew that a large amount of cash was kept on the premises for payouts to winners. On that tragic night, he entered the store, forced Patel into a back room, and shot him in the head and neck. After the shooting, Rodriguez stole $14,000 and fled, leaving Patel for dead to avoid having a witness.
Despite his horrific injuries, which included having his tongue shot out, Patel managed to crawl to a telephone and dial 911 in a desperate attempt to get help. Sadly, he succumbed to his injuries before he could be connected. Investigators were able to use surveillance footage from the store, which captured Rodriguez wearing a distinctive red and orange sweatshirt and a mask with white skull teeth, to identify him as the suspect.
A month after the murder, in January 2021, authorities arrested Rodriguez. A search of his business uncovered the sweatshirt and mask seen in the surveillance video. Further investigation, including 14 search warrants, analysis of video surveillance, and tips from the community, solidified the case against him. GPS and cellphone data tracked one of Rodriguez's devices moving between his home and the crime scene around the time of the murder. A forensic analysis of a bloodstain on his clothing revealed a DNA mix of both Rodriguez and Patel.
Jafet De Jesus Rodriguez was charged with homicide, robbery, burglary, and theft. In June 2025, a jury convicted him of first-degree murder and robbery. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In a separate civil case, Ashokkumar Patel's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Pace-O-Matic and Miele Manufacturing, the companies that produced the skill-based gaming machines in the convenience store. The lawsuit argued that the presence of these machines turned the store into an 'unsafe mini-casino' without the necessary security measures. In November 2025, a Philadelphia jury found the two companies negligent in Patel's death and awarded his estate $15.3 million.
