The suspect in the killings of a mother and daughter who were found stabbed to death in an apartment at Webster Square Towers has been taken into custody, according to the Worcester police and a member of the victims' family.
WilliamRodriguez was captured about 12:40 p.m. Thursday in New York City, police said. He was wanted on a warrant charging him with armed assault to murder, among other charges, according to court records.
On Friday, he signed a waiver of extradition at his arraignment in New York, according to the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office.
A date has not been set for his return to Worcester.
Rodriguez, 59, had been on the run since the afternoon of Aug. 24 after police were called to the public-housing complex for a report of two people who had been stabbed. Sergia Acosta, 76, who lived in the ninth-floor apartment, and her daughter Ana Maria Martinez, 58, were soon pronounced dead.
Police confirmed the death about 3 p.m. Earlier, Genesis Berrios, the granddaughter of Sergia Acosta and niece of Ana Maria Martinez, said she was told of the apprehension in New York.
She was told by the District Attorney's Office and a Worcester Police Department detective on the case that the arrest was made with the aid of video surveillance footage.
"We hope justice is served," Berrios said. "We are very grateful to everyone involved."
Berrios' mother, Desiree, was the one who found the women at the Webster Square apartment building Saturday.
"My mother was screaming with joy when we were told about the arrest," Berrios said.
Interim Police Chief Paul Saucier, in a statement, said multiple agencies were involved in the search for Rodriguez.
He said, “I would like to thank the men and women of the Worcester Police Department and all of our partners, including the USMS MA Fugitive Task Force, the USMS New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Massachusetts State Police VFAS, District Attorney Joseph Early’s office, the New York City Police Department and New York Port Authority Police for their assistance in bringing this man to justice.”
The investigation focused onRodriguezfrom the start. He had dated Martinez, according to court records.
He was long known to police. In 2004, he stabbed his wife to death at the Beechwood Hotel, where he was a dishwasher. His wife, CarmenRodriguez, was a housekeeper.
At the time, there was a restraining order against WilliamRodriguez.
Three years later, as a trial neared,Rodriguezpleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
In court, prosecutors said the attack was motivated by a failed marriage and WilliamRodriguez's fear that he would be separated from his three children. WilliamRodriguezplanned a psychiatric defense, court records showed at the time.
He was sentenced to 15 to 20 years in prison and later paroled.
Rodriguez, who most recently lived at 40 Belmont St., is seen on surveillance video entering and exiting Apt. 918 multiple times on the day the bodies were found, court records show.
At the Webster Square apartment building, soon after the arrest was made public, residents voiced relief. Luisa Delgado, 75, said that since the slayings a rumor had spread throughout the community that Rodriguez was still in the area.
In the last four years of her living there, she said to have become acquainted with Acosta, saying that she was a very peaceful woman who "liked going to church."
"I could not sleep these days," Delgado said. "It's been a nightmare.
"I'm very happy that they caught him."
Cecilio Gonzalez, 78, echoed Delgado when saying that the rumor of Rodriguez hiding in the towers brought "a lot of tension" to the community, especially to the women residents at the complex.
"I am very happy they apprehended him," Gonzalez said. "There were a lot of residents who would say they couldn't sleep; they would put a double lock on the door.
"For now, there's some kind of peace of mind."
In a statement Friday morning, the Worcester Housing Authority expressed "profound relief" at the news of the arrest.
"Our sincere thanks to the Worcester Police Department and their law enforcement partners for their diligent efforts in securing the suspect's custody," the statement read. "Additionally we are deeply appreciative of the Renaissance Medical Group for providing grief counseling services to our residents during this challenging time.
"Though this tragedy is immense, the memories of Sergia and Ana Maria will guide and inspire us, ensuring they are always remembered."
Marco Cartolano and Craig Semon of the Telegram & Gazette contributed to this report.
