(AP) - A Carson City man pleaded guilty Wednesday to the Mother's Day roadside killing of a teenager and wounding of a Good Samaritan who stopped to help.
Victor Rodriguez pleaded guilty to killing 17-year-old Rene Angulo and the attempted murder of 51-year-old Wayne Nash on U.S. 395 in Washoe Valley.
Rodriguez, 24, faces up to life in prison without parole, plus an additional 60 years when sentenced Oct. 1 by Washoe District Judge Connie Steinheimer.
Authorities have said they don't know how Rodriguez ended up in Angulo's car. The two had no known connection.
Angulo was shot in the head. Nash, who saw the car ahead of him swerve, was shot in the leg when he pulled over to lend assistance.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Dan Greco said prosecutors were considering whether to seek the death penalty when Rodriguez's lawyer offered the guilty pleas in exchange for sparing his life.
Rodriguez is represented by Chief Deputy Public Defender Maizie Pusich.
Greco called the deal "a fair resolution."
During a preliminary hearing in June, Nash, testifying from a wheelchair, said he was behind Angulo's car and saw it swerve and stop. He pulled over about 50 feet past the car and got out.
"I thought someone was in peril and needed some help," he said.
A traffic engineer and assistant girls basketball coach at Carson High School, Nash said he saw Angulo face down by the roadside, and then heard gunshots as the car sped away.
He was shot in the leg and has since had multiple surgeries.
After the shootings, authorities allege Rodriguez ditched the car and fled on foot. He was later found by Washoe County deputies naked and hiding in brush. According to police, Rodriguez claimed he "blacked out" during the incident.
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