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Ex–Riverside County Deputy Gets 1 Year in Jail After 2014 Killing, Drawing DA Objection

Prosecutors say he misused his badge to confront his girlfriend’s former partner, calling the punishment out of step with the jury’s verdict.

Overview

  • Judge Otis Sterling imposed a 10-year state prison term but suspended it, ordering 365 days in county jail and 10 years of probation.
  • An Indio jury in June found Oscar Rodriguez guilty of voluntary manslaughter and a gun-use enhancement and acquitted him of first-degree murder.
  • The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office publicly objected to the outcome and had urged a mid-term 10-year state prison sentence.
  • Rodriguez received 194 days of custody credit for time already served, reducing his remaining county jail time.
  • Prosecutors say he learned Luis Morin’s location from Diana Perez, confronted him alone under a claimed warrant, and fired one shot during a struggle, with the accessory charge against Perez dismissed in April.