Man who shot high school soccer player gets 50 to life
A man convicted of gunning down a well-liked 17-year-old soccer player in a jealous rage was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison Tuesday morning.
Jason Alejandro Schumann, 26, was upset because he apparently had seen text messages and other communications between Francisco Rodriguez Jr. and Elizabeth Ibarra, the mother of one of Schumann’s children, authorities said.
Schumann and Ibarra, who both used meth and had spent time in jail, shared a volatile, dysfunctional relationship, prosecutors said. After seeing the messages, Schumann told friends he intended to confront Rodriguez, authorities said.
On the evening of Jan. 11, 2012, Schumann and Ibarra drove to Rodriguez’s home in the San Fernando Valley. Ibarra knocked on Rodriguez’s front door to lure him outside, where Schumann was waiting, prosecutors said.
After a brief argument, Schumann shot the teen. Rodriguez’s sister, Jessica, found him face-down on the lawn.
A jury convicted Schumann of murder last month.
Rodriguez played goalie for El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills. Shortly before his death, he played in a soccer match.
At Tuesday’s sentencing hearing in a Van Nuys courtroom, Rodriguez’s soccer coach, David Hussey, spoke about the effect the shooting had on the school community, officials said. Rodriguez’s mother, sister and two cousins also spoke.
Schumann’s attorney, Anthony Brooklier, had argued at trial that Ibarra was the real shooter.
He said Tuesday that he plans to file an appeal on his client’s behalf.
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Twitter: @jillcowan
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