The suspect in an April DUI-related murder case tried to flee the country by purchasing a plane ticket to South America, according to court filings by the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office.
Antonio Rodas was arrested Wednesday and charged with murder in the death of 19-year-old Adam Luker. Police say Rodas had a blood alcohol content of .3 — three times Alabama’s legal limit of .08 when his SUV slammed into Luker’s driver’s side door at 88 mph on Moffett Road in Semmes.
Police also say Rodas was driving in the wrong lane and had multiple beers in his vehicle. Prior to the crash that killed Luker, police had received numerous 911 calls regarding a vehicle matching that of Rodas’ SUV driving recklessly.
Rodas was convicted of DUI in Mobile in 2022 after a November 2021 arrest. His blood alcohol content in that case was .19, according to court records.
The Mobile District Attorney’s Office has filed a motion to have Rodas held without bond pending trial under Aniah’s Law.
“Given the nature of the incident, his criminal history and the fact Mr. Rodas is in this country illegally, we feel strongly that seeking Aniah’s Law is the appropriate course of action,” said Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood.
Under Aniah’s Law, overwhelmingly approved by Alabama voters in 2022, defendants can be held without bond for specific violent offenses, including murder.
Rodas was also charged with domestic violence in April 2021, although that charge was dismissed. At that time, however, Rodas’ immigration status was brought to the attention of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to court records.
He currently has a hold placed on him by ICE, according to the Mobile Metro Jail docket.
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