Karla Rodriguez, a 20-year-old Hispanic woman, was found inside her car in a Hudson, Massachusetts parking lot after reports of gunfire on a December afternoon in 2019. She was taken to a local hospital and later transferred to UMass Memorial Hospital in Worcester, where she died shortly after midnight on December 13, 2019, from gunshot wounds.

Investigators focused on Rodriguez’s 23-year-old boyfriend, Luis Santos. The couple had dated about three months; Rodriguez’s mother said the relationship became strained after they learned she was pregnant. On the day of the shooting, Rodriguez reportedly texted her mother saying she was afraid because Santos was very angry and had threatened to kill her. Surveillance footage reportedly shows Santos firing through Rodriguez’s windshield while she sat in the driver’s seat.

After the shooting, Santos allegedly told a friend I killed Karla and sought help to buy a flight to Puerto Rico. A warrant led to his surrender; he was charged with murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, unlawful possession of a firearm, and armed assault with intent to murder, and held without bail after pleading not guilty. Friends and family described Rodriguez as vibrant and kind-hearted and said she was a devoted mother to her 10-month-old son.

If anyone knew Karla, her routines, or saw activity in the Howe Street parking lot that day, please come forward with information.