Rodolfo Hinojosa-Soto
/ photo by Craig McDowell
SYRACUSE -- The man convicted in the shooting death of another man in Syracuse will spend the next 45 years to life behind bars.
That's the sentence handed down to 22-year-old Rudolfo Hinojosa-Soto in Onondaga County Court this morning.
Soto was convicted of murdering 27-year-old Curtis Parrish along the 300 block of Putnam Avenue in October 2010. The jury deliberated for six days and were deadlocked twice, asking to be relieved of their responsibilities as jurors. They later convicted Soto. His attorney says the judge should have a declared a mistrial, but did not.
Police say the men knew each other and had a bad relationship. A year before the murder, police say they had a bad drug transaction which lead to the feud. Prosecutors say Hinojosa-Soto executed Parrish, but the defense attorney has a different theory. He believes Parrish waived cocaine around in an area with drug addicts and someone robbed him.
The judge sentenced Hinojosa-Soto to 25 years to life on the second degree murder charge, then 15 years on a weapons charge and 5 years on a drug charge. The sentences will run consecutively.
Hinojosa-Soto's attorney says he plans to file an appeal.
