Naman Shrestha
In the late summer of 2009, Juan Carlos Benitez, Paul Rodelo, and Cesar Sosa became recipients of multiple bullets in a Vegas neighborhood, resulting in the tragic demise of Juan and Paul. Upon investigation, the police learned that the murders were caused by a longtime feud between two individuals over a woman. The entire case is covered in detail in the episode titled ‘Vengeance in Vegas’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Feuds Turned Fatal.’ The episode also features insightful interviews with the victims’ loved ones and the officials linked to the investigation.
Juan Carlos Benitez and Paul Rodelo Were Killed in Broad Daylight in a Vegas Neighborhood
Teresa Noriega welcomed Paul Armando Rodelo into the world on November 12, 1986. Growing up in the company of his brother Ricardo Romero and sister Cindy Noreiga, Paul aspired to become a police officer. Although he went to Clark High School, he did not graduate until around 2009. From an early age, he had been in a loving relationship with Ana Rodelo. After dating for seven years, the couple got married in December 2008, surrounded by loved ones.
Paul’s hobbies included completely immersing himself in traditional Mexican music by wearing a cowboy hat and boots while listening to it. In the summer of 2009, he met Juan Carlos Benitez and Cesar Sosa. Little did he know that his association with them would lead to his untimely demise. When Paul went to the 5000 block of Edna Avenue in Las Vegas with Juan, who was born on February 11, 1989, and Cesar on August 10, 2009, multiple bullets were shot in their way. When the police arrived at the scene, they discovered 20-year-old Juan dead inside his blue Ford F-150 pickup.
Since 22-year-old Paul showed some signs of life, he was rushed to the University Medical Center, where he was placed on life support. Unfortunately, he also passed away the following night at the hospital. The cause of both of their deaths was multiple fatal gunshot wounds. Meanwhile, Cesar was also injured severely but was treated and released from the hospital. During the inspection of the crime scene, the detectives found numerous 7.62 rifle and .40-caliber cartridge casings near the Ford pickup, which had multiple bullet holes.
Juan Carlos Benitez’s Feud With a Rival Over a Woman Led to His and Paul Rodelo’s Demise
The investigators talked to witnesses in the neighborhood and found out that two men were seen holding a rifle and a gun in the driveway of the Edna Avenue residence where the shooting took place. One of the witnesses identified one of the alleged shooters as Jose Granados, who denied any involvement in the crime. Still, the police arrested and charged him with one count of murder with a deadly weapon and two counts of attempted murder. Meanwhile, his uncle, Richard Granados, was declared a person of interest. Within a week of taking Jose into custody, the detectives released him due to a lack of evidence against him and focused their investigation on 43-year-old Jose Granados-Dominguez Sr. and Richard.
As the authorities delved deeper into the case, they learned that a year or so before the shooting, 19-year-old Paula Arenas Suarez ended her relationship with Juan. Soon after she met 30-year-old Richard Granados through Jose Granados Jr., one of Juan’s friends, Paula began seeing him. According to Juan’s twin sister Karla Benitez, he was going through a rough patch after the breakup, and when he found out that Jose was the reason she began dating Richard, he ended his friendship with him as well. As per Cindy Noreiga’s claims, on August 10, 2009, Paul had been hanging out with his new friends — Juan Carlos Benitez and Cesar Sosa — at his mother’s house, situated less than a mile from where the shooting took place.
According to reports, the three friends left the house earlier that morning to purchase some bottles of beer at a convenience store on Edna and Decatur. After making the purchase, they allegedly drove down to Edna Avenue and began throwing beer bottles at the residences of Jose and Richard Granados. The residues of broken beer bottles were also found at the crime scene. According to the surveillance footage of one of the neighbors, Richard could be seen pulling out his gun and ordering his family to go inside his house. After obtaining an arrest warrant for Richard, the detectives finally took him into custody in Los Angeles nearly a couple of months after the shooting.
Richard Granados is Incarcerated in a Nevada Prison
Several years later, in late 2015, Richard Granados stood trial for being involved in the double homicide of Juan Carlos Benitez and Paul Rodelo in 2009. During the trial, the defense claimed that Richard allegedly feared for his life and shot the victims in self-defense while they were driving down towards him and his brother. On the other hand, the prosecution claimed that the shooter was already gearing up to shoot and it was not the case of self-defense.
Finally, on December 14, 2015, the jury found him guilty and convicted him of one count of conspiracy to commit murder and one count of attempted murder. Meanwhile, his brother, Jose Granados-Dominguez Sr., took a guilty plea and admitted to two counts of voluntary manslaughter with the use of a deadly weapon. A few months later, on April 12, 2016, Richard was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison for being involved in the killing of two friends. As of today, he is serving his sentence at Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock, Nevada.
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