The woman who drove the getaway car on Monday during an Oklahoma home invasion that left three would-be burglars dead, said that they she “doesn’t blame” the homeowner for shooting them.
Elizabeth Marie Rodriguez, 21, is facing three counts of felony murder, three counts of burglary, and one count of second-degree burglary after she allegedly drove three teens to rob a Broken Arrow, Oklahoma home. All three suspects were shot by the homeowner. In an interview with ABC, Rodriguez expressed remorse for her actions, and said she understood why the shootings happened.
“I know what we did was stupid and wrong. I don’t blame him. … I understand why he did what he did. I mean, I do to an extent.”
The homeowner, Zachary Peters, 23, was armed with an AR-15 rifle at the time of the break-in. All three suspects, Maxwell Cook, 19; Jacob Redfearn, 17; and Jaycob Woodruff, 16, were killed. Peters hasn’t been charged; investigators are reviewing Oklahoma’s “stand your ground” law for the case.
Rodriguez said that while all of them participated in planning the robbery together, she was the one that chose Peters’ home. She indicated that by looking at the home, she surmised the homeowner likely had a lot of money and it would be “hit and lick.” She was dead wrong.
According to court documents, the three teens had already robbed a spare apartment in Peters’ home earlier in the day, and decided it would be easy to break into the main part of the home later on. When the teens went back, however, Peters was armed and ready to defend his home.
One of Rodriguez’s friends, Ethan Ellison, said that she called him shortly after the three suspects were shot.
“She called me right after it was done. She called me and she was freaking out. And then she told me that the three boys got shot. … I was like, ‘What? What are you talking about? What do you mean?’ She said that they thought that the house was empty…. All she knows, is she heard over 12 gun shots so she freaked out and left.”
Rodriguez fled the scene in her car, but eventually turned herself in. She remains behind bars without bond.
[Feature Photo: AP]