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SALT LAKE CITY — A man who shot at a car and killed a teenager when he was 18 said Tuesday he accepts responsibility for his actions and was sentenced to a term of one to 15 years in prison.
Frank Tsinnijinnie, now 22, read a letter that he wrote to the victim and talked about how he wants to pass the victim's legacy on to his 5-year-old son.
"Romeo, I'm truly sorry that your life ended that night and as a result you were taken from your family and deprived of many experiences that life can give," Tsinnijinnie said.
Romeo Rodriguez, 14, of Salt Lake City, was hit by a bullet in his face about 3 a.m. on Aug. 2, 2017, while sitting with others in the back seat of a pickup truck in West Valley City. He died later that day at Primary Children's Hospital.
Police documents say Tsinnijinnie intentionally fired a gun at the car and that the bullet went through the windshield, hitting Romeo. At the time, neighbors reported hearing multiple gunshots.
Tsinnijinnie pleaded guilty in July to a reduced charge of manslaughter, a second-degree felony. He was initially charged with murder, a first-degree felony; two counts of discharge of a firearm, a second-degree felony; and obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony, but the other charges were later dropped and amended.
Romeo's family spoke at the sentencing hearing his father and mother both talked about the pain that the family and the victim's nine siblings have felt since losing their son and brother, and they asked the judge to order the maximum sentence.
Romeo's mom talked about her son's personality and said he was the heart of their family.
"I will never get to hear my son tell me he loves me. I will never get to feel his arms wrapped around me. We will never get to celebrate his successes and I will never have grandkids in his image," she said.
She said Tsinnijinnie shattered her world and made it harder for her to let others close, but she also said she forgives him.
"I know with even the max sentence, one day you will be able to live a life and I pray that with that life you do go, educate yourself and help keep other men out of the same situation and out of the system. ... I do not know you, but for what it's worth, I forgive you."
Justin F. Knell, Tsinnijinnie's attorney, said it is important to consider his circumstances, that he had been chronically homeless, was going to a military school at his own request, and had been robbed and beaten previously, leading him to carry a loaded gun. Knell also said Tsinnijinnie thought that he had been shot at from someone in the car and that he had been mistaken for a member of a local gang.
Knell also noted that each of the other individuals that he is aware of in the vehicle with Romeo have connections with gangs. Two of them, Knell said, are currently in prison. He said it was shocking that these individuals were not able to talk to police about what happened, citing one who said on the night of the shooting that he was too high to remember what had occurred.
Tsinnijinnie did not know until police came and arrested him that he had even hit anyone in the car, Knell said. The attorney said his client has considered his actions every day since that time and has been very well-behaved. Tsinnijinnie has been in custody 1,595 days, and Knell said he doesn't think any more time would help Romeo's family.
"Frank has sought to demonstrate that he is not defined by the worst thing he has done in his life, he simply is not," Knell said.
Tsinnijinnie's family, like Romeo's family, has also missed him at family events, Knell said. He said that since he is young he will be more susceptible to rehabilitation, but argued that spending time in jail would not be a good influence on him.
His mother apologized to the victim's family and said that she knows her son's heart and pointed out that he was also young and had just become a father at the time.
"The pain you are going through, I've pretty much been going through too," she said, talking about how hard it has been to have her son in jail.
Judge Amber Mettler said she put a lot of time into thinking about this sentence and she is more familiar with this case than most others she is involved in because of how long the case has been continued.
"It was clear before, but it's especially clear today that this case is just an absolute tragedy. ... Two families have been torn apart as a result of what happened that day in August, and I wish that I could say magic words that would bring peace and comfort to both families. I, unfortunately, don't believe that I have that ability. But I hope that at least as we come to an end and this criminal proceeding that Romeo's family will begin to find some sort of closure, if that's possible," Mettler said.
She said she received letters from deputies at the jail that are unlike anything she has seen before talking about Tsinnijinnie's good behavior. However, she said his actions are worthy of a prison sentence, and she followed the pre-sentence recommendations of a sentence of between one and 15 years.
Mettler said whether Tsinnijinnie gets credit for his four years in jail will be up to the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole, but she said she will recommend that the board give him credit for time served.
