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So HORRIFIC Judge CRIES at Sentencing | The HORRIFYING Case of Jordan Rodriguez

by thaison8386•

Part 1: The Crimes in the Dark

Every morning for three months, Larissa Rodriguez woke up to a new day. She opened the blinds, looked out to see that the sun had risen again, and went about her morning routine: getting dressed, waking up her children, and going about her day. Every evening for those three months, Larissa would put her children to bed, make her way to her bedroom, close the blinds, turn off the light, and crawl into bed herself, eventually drifting off to sleep. I wonder what she dreamt about during those three months. I wonder if she dreamt about Jordan.

Who is Jordan, you ask? Jordan was Larissa’s 5-year-old son. Jordan’s broken, starved little body was buried in Larissa’s backyard, and she knew it because she helped put him there.

Larissa Rodriguez’s life had been marked by upheaval and turmoil. Larissa and her siblings were victims of generational trauma and violence. They endured a horrific and unstable childhood, which ultimately led to them being separated into the foster care system. At some point, Larissa was adopted, but being adopted did not mean rainbows and butterflies. In fact, she lodged her own complaints against her adoptive parents in 1998, which were ultimately dismissed. Larissa acted out repeatedly, ran away, and at the age of 14, she became pregnant. She went through with the pregnancy and gave birth to her first of many children, a son named Angel Alvarez.

Fast forward to 2007, her adoptive mother, Emma Ross, was brutally stabbed to death by her boyfriend. According to Larissa’s sister, Anna, their adoptive mother struggled with addiction, and the boyfriend had a violent past, apparently having killed a previous girlfriend. Emma, who had a total of 12 children, dated this guy anyway, knowing his past. It caught up with her when he murdered her as she was leaving a hair salon. He stabbed her numerous times. She ended up staggering into a nearby Walgreens begging for help but died four hours later at the hospital.

Just like her childhood, Larissa’s adult life was anything but stable. She was in and out of relationships, giving birth almost every year, ending up with a total of 10 children, almost all of them having different fathers. Eighteen complaints of child neglect or abuse were reported against her dating back to 1999, right after she gave birth to her first son. Thirteen of those complaints led to formal investigations. She has been connected to incidents of assault, domestic violence, and a missing person’s case. Larissa was an absolute train wreck, living in disgust and squalor. Her homes were filthy, loaded with rodents, and infested with bugs. How she maintained custody of any of her children is unbelievable. But as I came to find out, Larissa was scheming with a corrupt social worker. That is why she still had some of her children. That scheming would lead to one of the most horrific child murders in Ohio history and would blow the lid off the filth and disgust going on behind the walls of this horror house on West 80th Street in Cleveland.

Jordan Rodriguez was born on November 5, 2012, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Larissa Rodriguez. Not much is known about his father; he apparently had no involvement in Jordan’s life. Jordan was born 26 weeks premature and missing a kidney. But this little guy was a fighter, and against the odds, he was able to leave the hospital. It was later found that Jordan was mute; he could not speak, and he could not cry. The thought of what he went through in silence is almost too much to bear. Little Jordan wanted to live; he deserved to. Unfortunately, he was born into absolute chaos and horrific living conditions, devoid of love and safety.

Christopher Rodriguez was another one of Larissa’s many live-in boyfriends. Although they shared the same last name, they were not married. There is not a lot of information available on Christopher, but from what I could find, he was a loser without a job, a huge temper, and a deadbeat dad. He had other children and was ordered to pay child support but was not supporting them in any way. Yet, he was a knight in shining armor to Larissa. She thought it was a great idea to invite this dirtbag into her home and around her children. Larissa’s children were already suffering from living with her as their mother, and then she decided things must not be bad enough, so she brought in Satan himself.

It is not clear how long Christopher was living with Larissa and her children, but during that time, he was abusive to her and the children. Like we see in so many cases, there was one child who was singled out, one child who got the worst of it. That child was little Jordan—the boy who fought so hard as a baby to live, the boy who had no voice, only one kidney, and special needs. That is who this coward of a man, a real tough guy, thought he would take his wrath out on. Larissa went right along with it; she never protected Jordan and did nothing to stop it.

Prior to Christopher coming into the picture, family members state Jordan at least looked healthy. I am sure living with Larissa meant he was suffering mentally and emotionally, but prior to Christopher’s arrival, he at least physically looked well. Then, Christopher and Larissa starved Jordan and locked him in a closet. Christopher would beat Jordan and shove a sock in his mouth to muffle his cries. This horrific treatment went on and on until Jordan’s little body could not take it any longer, and he passed away. After that, Christopher and Larissa put mothballs in his mouth, wrapped a diaper around his head, shoved his broken body into plastic bags, and buried him in the backyard like a dog buries a bone.

Christopher would end up getting arrested, not for what happened to Jordan, but for not paying child support to his previous family. He ended up in jail, but he and Larissa kept their romance going. Larissa even made sure he had money and care packages while he was in prison. Yes, you heard that right: while precious Jordan lay decomposing in her backyard, she was busy preparing care packages for her precious Christopher.

Part 2: Recorded Prison Phone Calls

The following are transcriptions of phone conversations between Christopher (in jail) and Larissa:

Operator: “A call from Western Union. This call is subject to recording and may be monitored. You may start your conversation now.”

Christopher: “Hello, I love you. I’ve got an idea, I don’t know if it’ll work though. Does the caller have a debit card or a credit card or anything? I think so, she did it before. Because I was wondering if you could call her and see if you can Western Union her some money, you know what I mean, and then have her put the money on my books. If they’ve got your credit card number already, it will be her credit card number, you know what I mean, so it won’t get blocked.” Larissa: “What do you mean?” Christopher: “Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. But if you wire her the money and she uses her own card and account number, do you think it’ll work?” Larissa: “But she’ll be using the same phone number as mine, and mine is the same phone number on my account.” Christopher: “No, no, no, what I’m saying, babe, remember how you put the money on my books and I bought the $5 phone cards? That’s what I’m saying. If you have her put the money on my account using her credit card or debit card, then all I’ve got to do is go to the kiosk machine and buy the $5 phone cards, and we’ll have a lot more money to talk to each other.” Larissa: “I can see what she says. Um, you know I saw you right when you got into the court…”

(Next call)

Operator: “This is a free call from an inmate at Medina County Jail. To accept this free call, press one…”

Christopher: “Beautiful, just want to tell you I love you, gorgeous. I love you. You okay?” Larissa: “Yeah, I’m okay. Why would you do that when you see I’m clean?” Christopher: “How is everyone? Bubba doesn’t want to help do anything? Well, tell him he ain’t going nowhere if he doesn’t clean up. Tell him exactly what I just said. Tani is being lazy like normal, not doing nothing. Mar is making some ramen noodles for everybody.” Larissa: “I took down the curtains that are in the playroom. You know that black and white shower curtain thingy? Yeah, I put that one towards the outside of the big window, and then I put some other flower one that I had found in the closet upstairs on the side window.” Christopher: “Okay, get the cracked ones out of there and throw those away.” Larissa: “Okay, but I was wiping down the walls and stuff. I just wanted to go and tell you I love you and get ready to lock us down until 1:00. I’ve got to save the rest of this money for later tonight so I can talk to you. I’ve got $5 left on the kiosk, and I want to save at least like two bucks for tomorrow morning to talk to you too.” Christopher: “I just wanted to hear my wife’s voice and let you know like I’m always thinking about you guys. I miss you. I can’t wait until you get your letter either tomorrow or Tuesday so you can see the tattoo I’m going to get, and that’s going right over my heart.” Larissa: “Oh yeah?” Christopher: “Yeah, I told you I’m covering everything up. My wife and my kids are going to be the only thing on my body. The one that’s on my heart right now is getting covered up by the one that I just sent you.” Larissa: “Yeah, I know.” Christopher: “I love you, my gorgeous soulmate. You ain’t never got to worry about me going anywhere, cheating on you, or wanting anybody else. You’re all I want, beautiful. I promise you. Do you feel the same way?” Larissa: “Yes, I do. I know, I love you.” Christopher: “Love you. Tell the kids they better be listening. I’m hearing everything, so when I get home they better not be crying for an ass-whooping. Who is spraying bleach, dumbass? Who was it?” Larissa: “Mar.” Christopher: “Mar, move! You’re not supposed to touch the damn bleach! Leave it alone right now! Wait until I get home, I swear to God that kid will be a whole different little kid when I get home, watch. Tell Mar to smack Boo Boo (Jordan) right in the mouth for me right now. I need my heavy hand.” Larissa: “Dad said he needed his heavy hand. Mar, smack Boo Boo right now. Dad said every time Boo Boo screams like that, he wants Bubba to knock him out.” Christopher: “Yeah, tell Bubba it’s time for him to show Boo Boo he’s the big brother.”

Part 3: The Call from Pakistan and the Uncovering of Truth

At some point, some of Larissa’s family started asking questions about Jordan’s whereabouts. Larissa would lie and say he was with an aunt or with Jordan’s father in Texas. What blew this case wide open, however, was a phone call from Pakistan, of all places.

The following is the call from Christopher’s brother to the U American police:

Brother: “Hi, man. I’m calling from overseas, but I’ve got kind of a messed-up situation. My brother told me something and I just can’t sleep at night. I feel like I need to report something concerning my brother.” Police: “What is it?” Brother: “He lives off of Detroit; I don’t know his direct address. Basically, he told me that something happened with one of the kids, they didn’t call the cops, and he and his girlfriend buried the kid in the backyard. Mind you, my brother is known to lie a lot, so I kind of blew it off at first. He said it’s not his kid, it’s one of her kids. He told me he came home, his girlfriend called him to rush home, and the little boy, who was about four or five, was unresponsive. He said this kid had a lot of problems, like he had only one lung and one kidney. I don’t even know if that part is true because I’ve only met them once or twice in my life.” Police: “What is your brother’s name and his girlfriend’s name?” Brother: “His name is Christopher Rodriguez, and his girlfriend’s name is Larissa Rodriguez. They’re not married, she just has his last name. Right now he’s actually locked up in Medina County for child support. He told me right before he went to jail. I don’t know the exact timeframe, but he made it seem like it was months ago. He was crying when he told me, which made me believe his sincerity. He told me, ‘I can take a lie detector test, I know I didn’t hurt that kid. When I came home, the kid was already dead.’ They also lied to the older kids, telling them Jordan was staying with her sister so they wouldn’t question it.”

Police then went to Larissa’s home to investigate the claims. They eventually obtained a warrant to search the backyard and found little Jordan. It was determined that when Jordan died, he weighed only 15 pounds at 5 years old. He also had several broken ribs and a broken wrist, making it obvious that severe abuse had taken place. Larissa and Christopher were immediately charged.

Larissa’s sister gave an emotional interview sharing her feelings:

“The justice system is messed up. If a dog bites someone, it gets put to sleep. Yet you have people out here killing kids, putting their remains in the backyard, and looking out the window every day like nothing happened. There is no justice for kids who cannot speak out. Every time she popped a baby out, they all came to my house and stayed with me for a few days. She just treats these kids as a means to get money from the state, nothing more.

Honestly, the blame here falls on Child Protective Services (CPS). If they had gone to the home regularly, they would have realized Jordan was not there. He (Christopher) put a sock in my nephew’s mouth. My nephew was mute; he couldn’t speak, he had no voice. How do you go to bed every night knowing what happened to your child, laying down your other five kids but not this one?”

Part 4: The Interrogation of Larissa

During her interrogation, Larissa tried to shift the blame entirely onto Christopher and used depression as an excuse:

Police: “Jordan had an old left wrist fracture that healed on its own, three fractured left ribs that healed on their own, and a fractured right rib that healed on its own. These are all injuries that were healing without medical help, which means he was in a lot of pain for a very long time, and you’re not being honest about what was happening to this kid.”

Larissa: “I personally didn’t put my hands on my kids. I never hit my kids. But I was so scared because I used to get my ass beat by Chris just because I defended my kids. He even put a sock in my mouth when I tried to yell for help. I felt like I was stuck.”

Police: “We’ve seen pictures up until Christopher Rodriguez came into the picture, and Jordan was a healthy child. But for whatever reason, he focused on that child. Did he physically abuse him?”

Larissa: “A few times that I saw, yes, he would smack him. That morning, something had to happen because Jordan wouldn’t just collapse like that. He could have pushed him, shoved him, or punched him. He is a street dude; he knows how to hit somebody in soft places with a hard object and not leave a mark.”

Police: “What was Jordan’s condition before he died? He was losing weight in his arms while developing a pot belly—that is malnutrition.”

Larissa: “I thought it was something wrong with his kidney. I always cooked big meals, and I served every single last kid of mine first. But around summer, Jordan started losing his appetite. He also developed some strange behaviors, like waking up in the middle of the night, going to the bathroom, and drinking toilet water. That house was just bad luck; neighbors told me after I moved in that a father had actually killed his son in that house. Jordan’s behaviors didn’t start until we moved there.”

Police: “It wasn’t the house; it was because the child was being starved.”

Part 5: The Corrupt SNAP Benefits Scheme

In a disturbing twist, it was uncovered that the reason Larissa managed to evade the authorities for so long was due to a corrupt underground scheme.

Nancy Carabello, a parent educator at an agency contracted with Catholic Charities, was assigned to Larissa Rodriguez’s family by CPS. Nancy was supposed to conduct monthly home visits to check on the children and their living conditions and file a report. However, phone records and surveillance footage revealed that on at least 12 occasions, Nancy and Larissa engaged in a fraudulent transaction:

  • Nancy would show up at Larissa’s home and take Larissa’s SNAP benefits card (food stamps).

  • Nancy would pay Larissa 50 cents in cash for every dollar available on the card.

  • In exchange, Nancy would file false reports stating that the children were safe and the home was in good condition.

Surveillance camera footage later caught Nancy using Larissa’s SNAP card to buy groceries for herself at Sam’s Club, Walmart, Giant Eagle, and other stores. Her greed and corruption systematically silenced the system designed to protect Jordan, allowing his suffering to continue unnoticed.

Part 6: Sentencing and Court Verdicts

At the sentencing hearing, the judge could not hide her profound emotion and disgust at the defendants’ actions:

“To the detectives and the attorneys, what we do every day is so hard, but this case, Mr. Rodriguez, is a horror. As a judge, I’m not supposed to show emotion, and in 22 years I never have. This is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen in my life. I don’t understand, Mr. Rodriguez, why you don’t want to cleanse yourself and tell the truth about what happened here.

You and Larissa have babies with no consideration. You just keep having them and having them, disregarding the value of their life, disregarding their purpose in life, treating them as less than an object. I didn’t even hear you say you were sorry.

These crimes are horrific. It’s clear that you did everything you could, you and Larissa, to hide evidence and protect yourselves. You had every opportunity at so many points to make a difference, to get help, to stop beating a child, to call the police, or to take him to the hospital. I have to imagine that at some point you got on the internet and searched ‘how do I bury a body,’ because the level of meticulousness that you went through to not be discovered is unbelievable to me. I honestly don’t know how either one of you lives with yourselves.”

The court imposed sentences as follows:

  • Larissa Rodriguez: Was sentenced to a total of 28 years in prison (the maximum sentence available) for involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault, endangering children, and abuse of a corpse.

  • Christopher Rodriguez: Was sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison for the same consecutive charges.

  • Nancy Carabello (The Social Worker): Was ultimately prosecuted for her crimes and sentenced to 3 years in prison for her role in fabricating records and exploiting the system.