Jose Joselito Rodriguez, a 31-year-old Hispanic male from Amherst, Massachusetts, was fatally shot on October 15, 2016. The incident that claimed his life unfolded at a party held at the Southpoint Apartments in Amherst, a place where Rodriguez was well-known.
On that night, an altercation led to Soknang Chham firing a 9 mm handgun. Rodriguez was struck three times and succumbed to his injuries almost immediately. Another man was also shot and injured during the incident but survived.
Witnesses reported that just before the shots were fired, Chham and his brother, Soksot Chham, had their backs to a wall when another individual entered the party, prompting Soknang Chham to begin shooting, with some saying he shouted, "This is a setup." Despite this, a clear motive for the shooting was never established during the investigation.
Following the shooting, Soknang and Soksot Chham fled the scene and boarded a bus out of Massachusetts. They were later apprehended in Arizona by U.S. Marshals and returned to Massachusetts to face charges. Soknang Chham was initially indicted on a murder charge, among other offenses. His brother, Soksot Chham, was charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact.
In February 2019, Soknang Chham, then 36, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and assault and battery by discharging a firearm. He was sentenced to a total of 22 to 25 years in state prison. The charge against his brother, Soksot Chham, was ultimately dropped in 2017. During the sentencing, family members, including the mothers of Rodriguez's children, filled the courtroom, remembering him as a loving and devoted father.
