On the evening of July 17, 2022, deputies from the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in Baton Rouge where 34-year-old Rudy Maldonado-Rodriguez had been found with a fatal gunshot wound. Witnesses at the scene initially told investigators the shooting happened accidentally during a game at a gathering, but those early accounts were later called into question as detectives continued their work.

Investigators subsequently arrested Carlos Pena in connection with Maldonado-Rodriguez’s death, and Pena was charged. Public reports have not described the investigative details that led to the arrest, nor have they spelled out the relationship between Pena and Maldonado-Rodriguez or a clear motive.

If anyone attended that gathering or has information about what happened that night, please come forward with what you know.