ORANGE CITY, Iowa (AP) - A 20-year-old northwest Iowa man has been given 75 years in prison for killing his grandfather and burning his home.
Court records say Santos Rodriguez Jr. pleaded guilty Monday in Sioux County District Court to arson and second-degree murder after prosecutors lowered the homicide charge from first-degree murder. He faced life in prison had he been convicted at trial, which was scheduled to begin Sept. 18.
Prosecutors say Rodriguez stabbed 84-year-old Luis Luevanos in his Rock Valley home on Oct. 29 and setting the man’s house on fire. Rodriguez was later arrested in Utah. Iowa investigators say Rodriguez admitted during a police interview to stabbing his grandfather and setting the fire.
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