Two men sentenced to life in prison in separate murder cases

Two life sentences were handed down Wednesday in two different Bexar County courtrooms.

Fabian Aranda Rodriguez was given the maximum sentence by 175th District Court Judge Catherine Torres-Stahl.

Aranda Rodriguez was found guilty by a jury in February for the brutal stabbing death of his mother.

Maritza Rodriguez, 68, was found with more than 30 stab wounds inside an Airbnb that Aranda Rodriguez had rented out on the Northeast Side on May 30, 2022.

During sentencing, the defense asked for a 30-year sentence because they believed Aranda Rodriguez suffered from mental health issues.

A psychologist testified that the defendant did have a delusional disorder and he believed his mother may not have been his mother and that everyone was against him.

But the testimony wasn’t enough to spare Aranda Rodriguez the life sentence. He is eligible for parole after serving 30 years.

In the 227th District Court, Judge Christine Del Prado sentenced Jose Rocha to the maximum sentence allowed by law.

Rocha in early March was found guilty by a jury in the 2015 murder of Aaron Riedner.

Riedner was fatally shot by Rocha as the two got off a VIA bus at Buena Vista and South Zarzamora.

The trial took years to begin as Rocha was found incompetent in 2017 and competency wasn’t restored until 2021.

Rocha was also sentenced to 25 years on the separate charge of deadly weapon in a penal institute.

The two sentences will run concurrently and he is also eligible for parole after serving 30 years.