The man being sought as a person of interest in the stabbing deaths of two people in Worcester, Massachusetts, this weekend has been arrested, police said.
William Rodriguez was arrested Thursday afternoon in New York City, Worcester police said. There was little further information, beyond that Rodriguez was taken into custody about 12:40 p.m. with the help of the U.S. Marshals' Fugitive Task Force and local police, including the New York City Police Department and the New York Port Authority Police.
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Rodriguez had been sought as a person of interest in the deaths of two women, identified by family members as 58-year-old Ana Maria Martinez and 76-year-old Sergia Acosta.
"I called my mom immediately, and I told her, 'They caught him, mom,'" said Genesis Berios — Martinez's niece and Acosta's granddaughter.
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She says a huge weight was lifted off her family's shoulders.
"It was so indescribable, I was so happy. Because I said, finally, my aunt and my grandma will get justice," Berios said through tears.
Rodriguez, 59, previously served prison time for fatally stabbing his wife in 2004, the Worcester County District Attorney's Office said. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2007.
Worcester police had previously said Rodriguez "should be considered armed and dangerous" as they investigated what led to the discovery of the two bodies on Saturday. The women had multiple puncture wounds when they were found inside Acosta's apartment on Main Street.
Members of the victims' family said Rodriguez wanted to be in a relationship with Martinez and became angry when she refused. They said Acosta died helping her fight off her attacker.
Police didn't confirm those details, saying only that it's being investigated as a domestic incident.
Berios said the family had no idea Rodriguez was convicted of killing his wife in 2004 and was paroled in 2019. She said she wishes people in the community who were aware had come forward.
"I wish they would have just said something to us — to my mom and I. My mom and I were completely blindsided. If we knew, we would have probably gotten help from the cops, and taken my aunt away, far away."
Prosecutors confirmed Monday that Rodriguez was "the same person who pled guilty to manslaughter" in October of 2007. They said he had been released on parole on June 7, 2019.
