HOUSTON, June 27 (UPI) -- A Houston jury Wednesday sentenced Raul Rodriguez to 40 years in prison for murdering a neighbor in a so-called stand-your-ground shooting in 2010.
Rodriguez, 47, was spared a possible life sentence, the Los Angeles Times reported. Defense lawyers had asked for a five-year term, saying Rodriguez -- who was convicted this month -- thought he was legally entitled under Texas law to shoot Kelly Danaher, a 36-year-old elementary school teacher, in Huffman.
Rodriguez killed Danaher after having complained about the noise at a party at Danaher's house May 2, 2010.
During the trial, jurors watched a 22-minute video Rodriguez shot of himself going from his house to Danaher's, and demanding those at the party quiet down. In the last 7 minutes of the video, Rodriguez is heard telling the guests at Danaher's house he is afraid they will hurt him, the Houston Chronicle reported.
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At one point, as several men from the party, including Danaher, are seen charging at Rodriguez, the shot goes to black and the audio portion contains a laugh and a gunshot before the camera seems to fall to the ground.
The defense argued Rodriguez shot Danaher in self-defense and had a split-second to decide whether to shoot.
Prosecutor Donna Logan said during the trial "self-defense was never meant to protect the one who started the fight" and Rodriguez was employing language he'd learned in a concealed handgun licensing class.
After the sentencing Thursday, Rodriguez's attorney, Neal Davis, told the Times the case is "only the beginning of the cases we're going to see" involving stand-your-ground laws.
