Andrew Rodriguez sentenced to eight years in the stabbing death of Jonathan ‘Jonny’ Perez
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Andrew Fredrick Rodriguez was sentenced to eight years in prison for the September 11, 2024, stabbing death of Jonathan Campbell Perez.
On Oct. 20, 2025, Rodriguez pled guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter, admitted to a 2010 conviction for residential burglary in Ventura County, and admitted he served a state prison sentence for sex crimes in Ventura County in 2010 as part of a plea agreement and he was sentenced to four years for the involuntary manslaughter charge and four more years for the prior convictions detailed the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office in a press release.
On Sep. 11, 2024, Rodriguez stabbed Jonathan 'Jonny' Perez once causing the 39-year-old's death and Rodriguez was initially arrested for murder in the second degree, but days later, Pismo Beach Police issued a press release noting that they were monitoring Rodriguez while he was at a Ventura County hospital for treatment after a suicide attempt and he was later arrested and extradited back to San Luis Obispo County on Monday, Sep. 16.
The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office issued a follow-up press release on Tuesday clarifying why the office pursued a charge of manslaughter instead of the original murder charge explaining that additional evidence collected during an investigation resulted in the manslaughter charge explained the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.
"As the investigation proceeded, it became clear that there was significant ambiguity in the evidence regarding the circumstances of the stabbing," stated a press release from the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office. "We are unable to share all the facts contained in the investigation, however, the uncertainty of what happened prior to the stabbing injury, and specifically how the stabbing occurred, led to our conclusion that both first degree and second degree murder could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt."
During Rodriguez's sentencing hearing, Perez's brother Daniel shared, "every memory of my childhood, every milestone, every joy and every mistake is intertwined with him. We were only 17 months apart and losing him feels like losing a piece of my soul, like losing my reflection, like losing the person who knew every version of me and loved me anyway."
"[E]ven in the darkest of grief – I know how lucky I am to have this army that stands behind me," added Daniel Perez. "We have a community that prays for peace in our hearts. They check in on me. They text me. They call me. They stop by my house. They stop by my work. They hug me. They love me. Unconditionally and endlessly."
