A Sparks man has been sentenced to 70 years in prison in connection with a 2021 murder. 

The Washoe County District Attorney's Office says 22-year-old Brian Rodriguez-Sigala will be eligible for parole after 28 years.

Rodriguez-Sigala was found guilty of First-Degree Murder with the Use of a Deadly Weapon and Carrying a Concealed Weapon in May.

The case against Rodriguez-Sigala began in March of 2021, when Sparks Police responded to an apartment on Sullivan Lane. There, they found the victim, 67-year-old Javier Rodriguez-Ramirez, inside with a gunshot wound to the chest.

UPDATE: MAY 23, 2023

The Washoe County District Attorney's Office says a man has been found guilty of first-degree murder in a shooting that took place in Sparks back in 2021.

On March 26, 2021, Sparks Police responded to an apartment on Sullivan Lane, following a report of trouble unknown.

When officers arrived, they found 67-year-old Javier Rodriguez-Ramirez, the victim, inside with a gunshot wound to the chest.

He was declared dead at the scene.

While investigating, police learned that the night prior, Javier had some people over, including the defendant.

At some point in the evening, the two men got into an altercation after Javier began unwanted sexual advances towards Rodriguez-Sigala.

At that point, police determined that the defendant shot at Javier twice, striking him once through the wrist and chest - hitting his heart. During an interview with police, Rodriguez-Sigala repeatedly claimed that he had shot the victim because the unwanted sexual advances were a sin and that he wanted the victim to confess.

Throughout the 6-day jury trial, Deputy District Attorney Jeff Hoppe highlighted the calculated nature of the defendant’s conduct, that he repeatedly said that the victim deserved it, and he murdered the victim for not confessing to the sins the defendant believed Javier committed.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 27, 2023.

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Original story from March 27, 2021:

Sparks Police Department says a man is dead from possible gunshot wounds after a reported argument in Sparks. 

Officers responded to a trouble unknown call on the 1400 block of Sullivan Lane around 5:15 p.m. Friday. They found a man dead inside of the apartment.

The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as 67-year-old Javier Rodriguez of Sparks. He was pronounced dead on scene.

His death was ruled a homicide and his official cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest.

Investigators discovered that 19-year-old Brian Rodriguez-Sigala was staying in the victim's apartment when an argument ensued between him and the victim.

Gunshots were reportedly heard and witnesses saw Rodriguez-Sigala running from the apartment. 

Officials were able to find Rodriguez-Sigala Saturday near the scene and he was booked for Open Murder and Carrying a Concealed Firearm. 

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