Jose Rodriguez, of Ridge, pleads guilty to murdering girlfriend in 2013, DA says

A Ridge man who prosecutors said shot his live-in girlfriend in the back when she tried to leave him, then shot her again in the head, pleaded guilty Wednesday to murder and attempted murder during a pretrial hearing in Riverhead.

Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota announced the plea by Jose C. Rodriguez, 34, in the Nov. 17, 2013, shooting death of Kimberly Sellitto, 36. Prosecutors said that after shooting Sellitto, Rodriguez barricaded himself and his two children inside the apartment at Brookwood on Ridge — firing several shotgun rounds at responding Suffolk police officers, who arrived to find the victim’s body in the street.

Police negotiated the release of the children — prosecutors said Sellitto was not their mother — and said Rodriguez later surrendered after a 90-minute standoff.

As a result of the plea, Rodriguez is scheduled to be sentenced to 30 years to life in prison when he appears Jan. 8 before State Supreme Court Justice William Condon. If convicted at trial, Rodriguez had faced 45 years to life in prison, authorities said.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”