Austin Rodrigues, a 26-year-old Hispanic man, was shot and killed in Rutland, Vermont, in the early morning hours of April 22, 2025. Police were called to a multi-unit home at 43 Summer Street around 2:45 a.m. for a report of a shooting. Inside, they found Rodrigues, who had been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene. His death was ruled a homicide.
According to court records, witnesses told investigators that Rodrigues and another man had been arguing and “egging
each other on over who was tougher.” The argument escalated when Rodrigues allegedly took a swing at the other man, who then pulled out a gun, opened fire, and fled the apartment. Witnesses only knew the shooter by the name “Kenny” and said he had been staying at the residence for about three weeks.
The Rutland City Police, with assistance from the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit, began investigating. The shooter had left some clothes behind in his haste to leave the scene. A key piece of evidence was a factory-sealed plastic bag containing a new package of boxer briefs. The bag was sent to the Vermont Crime Lab, where fingerprints recovered from the packaging helped police identify a suspect.
After a months-long search, authorities located Terrence Biggs Jr., a 25-year-old from Warren, Michigan. In September 2025, New York State Police troopers pulled Biggs over for speeding on Interstate 90 in Portland, New York. A records check during the routine traffic stop revealed he was wanted for murder in Vermont, and he was taken into custody.
Biggs was extradited to Vermont and charged with second-degree murder. At his arraignment in Rutland County criminal court, he pleaded not guilty. A judge ordered that Biggs be held without bail, deeming him a flight risk due to his lack of ties to Vermont and citing the severity of the charge, which carries a potential sentence of 20 years to life in prison. As of January 2026, he was incarcerated while awaiting an evidence hearing.
