Charges Dropped Against Ice Cream Shop Murder Suspect

Prosecutors dismissed robbery charges Friday against an ex-convict who is still considered the prime suspect in the shooting death of a Laguna Beach ice cream shop owner in a separate robbery the same evening.

Manuel Ramirez Rodriguez, 26, of Corona, no longer faces charges in Orange County, but he remained in custody Friday pending a transfer to Riverside County, where he faces unrelated robbery and parole violation charges.

Rodriguez was arrested last March in Oregon on suspicion of holding up a Tustin ice cream shop, but has never been charged with any crime in the Laguna Beach robbery and slaying of Simindokht Roshdieh, owner of a Baskin Robbins ice cream shop.

Authorities believed the Feb. 20 killing in Laguna Beach marked the violent end of a one-day crime spree in three cities, including the Tustin heist about 35 minutes earlier.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Chris Evans said investigators, after scrutinizing a security video, had too many questions about the identity of the gunman who held up the Tustin Baskin Robbins ice cream store to pursue charges against Rodriguez.

The suspect’s family members, who long contended he was in Oregon with his girlfriend’s family on the day of the robberies, expressed relief at Friday’s decision. They said they believed authorities rushed to judge Rodriguez because of his criminal record and background.

“He was an innocent man from the beginning,” said his sister-in-law, Shirley Ruiz. “It should have been settled a long time ago” because of his alibi witnesses, she added.

Jorge Ruiz said his brother-in-law is not capable of murder.

“That’s not him,” said Jorge Ruiz, holding Rodriguez’s 17-month-old son in his arms. “He’s a very outgoing person, especially with children.”

Despite dismissal of the Tustin charges, Laguna Beach Police Chief Neil J. Purcell Jr. said Rodriguez is still the prime suspect in that city’s robbery-homicide.

“We’re going to continue investigating this and attempting to bring charges of murder against this individual. We are still highly confident that we have the right suspect,” Purcell said Friday. “At this point, we just do not have enough conclusive evidence for the district attorney to file charges, so we’ll continue our investigation.”

Nick Roshdieh, 25, son of the Laguna Beach victim, said Friday he also expects Rodriguez to eventually face trial for the slaying of his mother, a crime that could carry a death sentence.

“I know he’s the one and he’s going to die,” Nick Roshdieh said. “There’s no doubt in my mind.”

The slaying of Simindokht Roshdieh, 53, sent shock waves through Laguna Beach, which had not experienced a robbery ending in a slaying in at least 27 years. The victim’s 63-year-old husband, Firooz, was wounded during the robbery attempt, which occurred as the couple was closing their downtown Baskin Robbins store at about 9:30 p.m.

In the days after the killing, volunteers pitched in to help reopen the store, and some paid hundreds of dollars for an ice cream cone as a show of support for the victims.

Police named Rodriguez as the suspect in the two ice cream shop robberies, as well as two armed robberies in Costa Mesa earlier the same night. Rodriguez, who police said was a former Santa Ana gang member, was also named a suspect in robberies in Riverside County.

But Rodriguez and his family and friends long insisted he was 750 miles away in rural Oregon on the day of the Orange County robberies. Friends and family said Rodriguez and his girlfriend drove to Chiloquin, Ore., with their young son five days before the local robberies and never left.

His attorney, Deputy Public Defender Ronald Klar, had said the man was a victim of mistaken identity, and that at least 15 people could place him in the small Oregon town on the day of the killing.

Friday’s action came as part of a 10-month investigation that Evans said proceeded “feverishly.” Experts from the FBI’s crime lab and the Anthropology Department of Colorado State University were among those who scrutinized the video surveillance photographs from the Tustin robbery.

Evans declined to say what role Rodriguez’s alibi played in the decision to dismiss the Tustin robbery charge.

As part of the dismissal agreement reached in Central Orange County Municipal Court, prosecutors could refile charges against Rodriguez. Robbery charges must be filed within three years of such a crime. There is no such deadline for homicides.

Purcell said investigators concluded “months ago” that two people may have been involved in the crimes, which could explain why the Tustin surveillance tape did not yield a conclusive identification.

In addition, Purcell said, Firooz Roshdieh easily picked Rodriguez from a police line-up.

“He had absolutely no problem, no hesitation at all,” Purcell said. “As soon as Rodriguez walked through the door the man identified him. Boom, just that quick.”

The suspect’s attorney, however, has pointed out that half a dozen other witnesses could not identify him.

Family members said Rodriguez just wants to settle in Oregon and get on with his life, although Klar said the Riverside County charges he faces could carry a prison sentence of 9 to 15 years if he is convicted.