Court: Murder suspect sought victim’s address

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By Stephen Byrd, Muscatine Journal | Saturday, February 11, 2006 |

Luis Alberto Gomez-Rodriguez visited the Muscatine County Courthouse on Feb. 23, 2005, and asked for the location of Maria Antonia Rivero and Juan Sarol-Cepero’s rented home on the 1800 block of New Hampshire Street in Muscatine.

That was about four hours before their murders, according to testimony from two Muscatine County employees at Gomez-Rodriguez’s double-murder trial Friday morning in Scott County District Court, Davenport, where the trial was moved from Muscatine County on a change of venue. He has pleaded innocent to the two first-degree murder charges.

Two Iowa private investigators also testified that approximately a month before the murders, Gomez-Rodriguez had contacted both of them, asking if they could help him locate the native Cuban couple in southeast Iowa.

The prosecution called up 11 witnesses during Friday’s shortened court session, including four Muscatine police officers, one Muscatine County sheriff deputy and two Davenport police officers.

Dozens of items found at the murder scene, including live and spent ammunition, a semi-automatic handgun with a silver barrel, revolvers, a flare gun, a duffel bag with various items and crime scene photographs taken the night of the murders, were admitted into evidence.

Seventh Judicial District Judge Bobbi M. Alpers adjourned court for the day at 3:55 p.m. Court will begin again at 9 a.m. Monday.

Rodney Hulen and Thomas Breese, local private investigators, testified that Gomez-Rodriguez had contacted both of them, asking if they could locate Rivero and Sarol-Cepero and offering to pay for their services.

Testimony by Hulen included the fact that on Jan. 14, 2005, Gomez-Rodriguez visited his Ottumwa office. “He mentioned Maria as an ex-girlfriend,” Hulen said. “He told me that he remodeled houses.”

Gomez-Rodriguez said that he had made a business trip to California, returned, and found out that Maria was gone, according to Hulen. Cash in the amount of $125,000 and furniture were also missing, Gomez-Rodriguez told Hulen. “He wanted Maria located and wanted to retrieve his cash and belongings,” said Hulen.

To help Hulen’s search, Gomez-Rodriguez provided him with documents that included driver licenses, motor vehicle information, a cell phone number and two addresses in Ottumwa.

Hulen said that Gomez-Rodriguez paid him $200 cash up front with the balance of his fee due when Rivero and Sarol-Cepero were found.

Hulen found out that Rivero and Sarol-Cepero had already left Ottumwa and began looking for the couple at local motels throughout Jefferson, Davis and Henry counties. He also looked for them in the cities of Fairfield, Bloomfield and Mount Pleasant.

“I never found them,” Hulen testified.

— Stephen Byrd,

Muscatine Journal