An East Hempfield Township man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 41 and a half to 85 years in prison this week after he was found guilty in February of shooting and killing his girlfriend, then barricading himself inside his home and firing at police.

In handing down his sentence today, Judge Craig Stedman told Miguel A. Rodriguez, 40, that he was “an extreme danger to the community,” and that no amount of incarceration or rehabilitation could reform him.

“Society needs to be protected from you,” Judge Stedman said.

Assistant District Attorney Kyle Linardo, who prosecuted the case alongside Assistant District Attorney Chris Miller, described Rodriguez’s actions as “a particularly heinous” crime to which the mandatory life sentence was not enough to do justice for the “devastation and damage” and “assault on decency” that occurred.

Linardo also praised the victim’s family, who he said were “unwavering in their desire to see this day.” Judge Stedman similarly praised the “character and courage” of the victim’s family.

Prior to the sentencing the victim’s mother and cousin told the court that Nemesis Florentino was a “loving, kind-hearted” person with a “radiant spirit” who enjoyed helping others and had many goals in life.

Speaking through an interpreter, the victim’s mother read a letter to the court describing the “endless pain” she has experienced since her daughter’s death. Setting the letter aside and speaking off the cuff, the victim’s mother asked the court to impose “justice for a mother who lost her child.”

Additionally, the victim’s mother expressed her “heartfelt gratitude” to the District Attorney’s Office for their “professional job” in prosecuting the case.

“You have honored my daughter’s memory,” she said.

Following the sentencing Judge Stedman also thanked the attorneys for displaying “professionalism in what you’ve done.”

In a short statement prior to being sentenced, Rodriguez told the court he was “very remorseful for what happened” and asked for forgiveness from the victim’s family, claiming he was “blinded” by drugs at the time.

Rodriguez shot Florentino, 33, in the head in his home in the 2000 block of Swarr Run Road during the early morning hours of Sept. 11, 2022. After the shooting Rodriguez called a friend and showed them a video of the deceased victim, an act which Linardo said “speaks to a level of despicableness” that no sentence can truly reflect.

Three East Hempfield Township Police officers who responded to the shooting attempted to enter Rodriguez’s home and were met with what Linardo described as “volleys of bullets.” Rodriguez fired more than 100 rounds both inside and outside his home after officers responded to the scene, preventing first responders from potentially saving the victim’s life.

The nearly five hour-long standoff ended shortly after when Rodriguez exited the residence with a loaded semi-automatic rifle which he pointed at police, resulting in an officer shooting him in the arm as he was attempting to feed a round into his weapon's empty magazine. District Attorney Heather Adams later determined that the officer’s use of force was justified following an investigation.

Officers discovered the deceased victim with two gunshot wounds to the head after entering the residence once Rodriguez had surrendered.

A jury had found Rodriguez guilty of murder in the first degree, two counts of assault of a law enforcement officer with a firearm, five counts of aggravated assault, four counts of recklessly endangering another person and three counts of obstruction of the administration of law following a five-day trial in February.

In addition to the prison time, Judge Stedman also sentenced Rodriguez to pay more than $24,000 in restitution for funeral costs.

East Hempfield Township Police Detective Sergeant Matthew Miller and Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Nelson Renno filed the charges.