Court docs: Man accused of beating, stabbing aunt

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- A Pueblo man faces multiple charges after reportedly stabbing and killing his aunt when she tried bringing him food.

Thursday, July 28, at 4 p.m., officers with the Pueblo Police Department (PPD) responded to 855 Hunter Dr. on reports of a stabbing. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KRDO, dispatched told officers a man had beaten a woman unconscious and then stabbed her.

When officers arrived at the scene they found the suspect, later identified as 41-year-old Brian Rodriguez, standing near the victim. Arrest documents identified the victim as 74-year-old Norma Mada, his aunt.

According to the affidavit, Rodriguez told an officer "something to the effect of 'you gotta do what you gotta do,'" when he approached him.

During the investigation, detectives interviewed multiple witnesses and the suspect's mother, Virginia Rodriguez.

According to the affidavit, Virginia confirmed that the victim was her sister. She told detectives Mada had wanted to bring Rodriguez food that day because he was homeless. She and her sister went to the McDonald's on Bonforte Blvd. to try and find Rodriguez and saw him walking up the street.

Virginia told investigators that Rodriguez was "still bad at her" because he blames "her for everything." Due to that, Virginia explained that she stayed back near the Wendy's sign on Hunter Dr. while Mada went to talk to Rodriguez.

According to the affidavit, Virginia didn't know that Rodriguez had stabbed Mada, she thought he had only punched her. She confirmed that she did see Mada lying in the street, but she didn't witness the stabbing or any other physical altercation.

In the affidavit, Virginia told investigators that in June, Rodriguez had grabbed her arm after getting upset with her. She then said Rodriguez grabbed a knife and held it up to her before going into Mada's room, where she was sleeping, and threatened to kill her.

At the time of the interview, Virginia had her arm in a brace and a bandage wrapped on her right lower arm. According to the affidavit, her broken arm was connected to the June incident.

Investigators asked if Rodriguez had been arrested following that incident and she said no, but confirmed she obtained a temporary restraining order against him but missed the court date to keep it active.

In the affidavit, Virginia told investigators that he had mental health issues but doesn't take medication. She went on to tell police that Rodriguez believed she did "witchcraft on him, and he blames her for everything." Virginia also said Rodriguez would "say that he was God and talk nonsense."

In the affidavit, Virginia said she told Rodriguez "he needed help, and she tried to get him help, but nobody would help him."

One witness told investigators she saw Rodriguez standing over Mada and striking her repeatedly. When she was non-responsive, the witness told police Rodriguez took a knife out of his pocket, raised his arms into the air, began yelling, then bent over and stabbed Mada.

In the affidavit, another witness told investigators she saw a woman bleeding from her head and a man standing over her. When she approached them to try and offer medical assistance, she saw Rodriguez on top of Mada. According to the affidavit, the witness initially thought he was giving her CPR but then realized he was pulling a knife out of Mada's body.

The witness told investigators she turned and ran back to her car when she saw the knife. As she ran away, she heard Rodriguez screaming that Mada had "ruined" his life. She told police he continued screaming but couldn't make out what he was saying.

After Rodriguez stepped away from Mada and put the knife in a cup, the witness told investigators she went back over with a blanket and tried helping Mada until police showed up.

According to the affidavit, Mada had several stab wounds on her face and neck area. She was taken to Parkview Medical Center where she went into emergency surgery. Hours after the stabbing, Mada passed away from her injuries.

Detectives with the Pueblo Police Crimes Against Persons are investigating the death.

Rodriguez faces the charges of Murder in the 1st Degree and Possession of a Weapon by a Previous Offender.

According to the affidavit, Rodriguez was convicted of Attempted Robbery in April of 2016 and was sentenced to the Colorado Department of Corrections for two years.

According to police, this is the 16th homicide investigation in the city of Pueblo in 2022.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Pueblo Police dispatch at 719-553-2502 or Detective Ryan Torres at 719-320-6037. To remain anonymous, contact the Pueblo Crime Stoppers at 719-542-7867.