Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WEST JORDAN — A West Jordan man accused of shooting his wife in the leg had also threatened to kill her and placed a GPS tracker on her vehicle, according to investigators.
Although Nelson Edgardo Rodriguez-Belloso, 38, claimed to police that the shooting was an accident, prosecutors say he "acted dangerously and intentionally." The shooting happened the day after he entered into a plea in abeyance in another domestic violence case involving the same woman.
On Oct. 5, a woman arrived at her home when she began arguing with her husband, Rodriguez-Belloso.
"Rodriguez-Belloso reported they have been having issues, so he put a GPS tracker on 'all of their cars.' On the date of the incident, Rodriguez-Belloso tracked (his wife) to Farmington, which was the basis of their argument," according to charging documents.
Rodriguez-Belloso told police the shooting was an accident, that "the gun fell and shot her in the leg" while they were arguing, and that "he does not know how the gun got out of his pocket," the charges state.
The woman, however, told police that after they began arguing, "Rodriguez-Belloso retrieved a handgun from the closet and loaded it by 'cocking it back,' putting a bullet in the chamber. Rodriguez-Belloso told (her) she needed to leave 'right now' or he was going to blow her brains out and she wouldn't live to tell her story. (The wife) said she believed he was serious and that she might not make it out alive," according to the charges.
The woman said while dialing 911, her husband tried to grab her phone and during the struggle she was shot.
"(She) said Rodriguez-Belloso began yelling at her, asking her why it had to get to this point and telling her that he didn't shoot her, she made him do it," the charges state.
Police say Rodriguez-Belloso then put his hands around the woman's neck and squeezed.
Approximately one hour after being shot, "Rodriguez-Belloso gave (his wife) her phone to call 911 and told her to say it was an accident and that while he was cleaning his gun, it fell and shot her. Rodriguez-Belloso stood in front of her while she made the call and she felt scared," the charges allege.
Rodriguez-Belloso was arrested and charged Friday in 3rd District Court with discharge of a firearm causing serious injury, a first-degree felony; three counts of possession of a firearm by a restricted person and obstructing justice, second-degree felonies; aggravated assault, witness tampering and domestic violence in the presence of a child, third-degree felonies; and damaging a phone, a class A misdemeanor.
According to prosecutors, the day before the shooting, Rodriguez-Belloso "entered into a plea in abeyance in the Salt Lake City Justice Court. … In this case, the defendant damaged shared property and prevented the victim from calling 911. The victim reported a history of domestic violence throughout their relationship."
Domestic violence resources
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
