Man Arrested in NYC for Double Murder in Worcester: Girlfriend and Mother Found Stabbed

Worcester Double Murder Suspect Arrested in NYC

William Rodriguez, 59, was arrested in New York City on Thursday afternoon in connection with the fatal stabbing of his girlfriend and her mother in a Worcester apartment on Saturday.

Rodriguez was identified as a person of interest the day after the bodies of the two women were discovered. He was apprehended by authorities in NYC around 12:40 p.m. after a collaborative effort by Worcester Police, the United States Marshals Service, and the New York City Police Department.

<figure><img decoding="async" width="636" height="577" src="https://bdc2020.o0bc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/worcester-66d0ec1495cb7.jpg" alt="William Rodriguez in 2020." srcset="https://bdc2020.o0bc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/worcester-66d0ec1495cb7.jpg?width=200 200w, https://bdc2020.o0bc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/worcester-66d0ec1495cb7.jpg?width=300 300w, https://bdc2020.o0bc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/worcester-66d0ec1495cb7.jpg?width=400 400w, https://bdc2020.o0bc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/worcester-66d0ec1495cb7.jpg?width=500 500w, https://bdc2020.o0bc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/worcester-66d0ec1495cb7.jpg?width=600 600w, https://bdc2020.o0bc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/worcester-66d0ec1495cb7.jpg?width=700 700w, https://bdc2020.o0bc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/worcester-66d0ec1495cb7.jpg?width=800 800w, https://bdc2020.o0bc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/worcester-66d0ec1495cb7.jpg?width=900 900w" sizes="(max-width: 636px) 100vw, 636px" pinger-seen="true"><figcaption>William Rodriguez in 2020.<i> – Worcester Police Department.</i></figcaption></figure>

Rodriguez now faces two charges of murder in Worcester District Court. According to court documents, officers responded to a 911 call at a Main Street apartment where the two women were found deceased with stab wounds.

Court documents indicate that Rodriguez and one of the women, his girlfriend, had been arguing. He allegedly sent a video message referencing his girlfriend’s infidelity and left a note in his apartment that read, in Spanish, "Women who make mistakes will receive what is coming."

While police and court documents did not identify the women, The Boston Globe reported that the victims were Ana Maria Martinez, 58, and her mother Sergia Acosta, 76.

Surveillance video showed Rodriguez entering and leaving the apartment, making him the last person seen there before the 911 call.

This isn't Rodriguez's first encounter with the law. In 2004, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter for stabbing his wife to death. Prosecutors attributed the fatal stabbing to the couple's failing marriage and Rodriguez's fear of being separated from his children. He was sentenced to 15 to 20 years in prison in 2007, receiving credit for over 1,300 days spent in custody during the proceedings.