IMPD/Facebook Cody Weir, left, is accused of killing Carina Rodriguez at an apartment gym in Indianapolis, Indiana.
An man called a “predator” by police has been accused of stabbing a woman to death at a gym in a luxury apartment in Indianapolis.
Cody Weir, 25, was arrested Saturday and charged with murder in the death of 23-year-old Carina Rodriguez, the mother of a young son who had recently moved to the city from Texas to go to school and start a new life, WXIN-TV reports.
Rodriguez was found dead Friday at the 9 on Canal apartment complex, Indianapolis Metro Police said in a press release. Weir, who is believed to be homeless, let himself into the building using a key fob that belonged to a friend who previously lived in the complex, according to court documents obtained by WRTV. He has admitted to brutally killing Rodriguez in an apparent random attack, according to police.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Weir Told Police He Got a Drink of Water to ‘Calm Himself Down’ Before Killing Rodriguez
Cody Weir was recorded on video surveillance cameras inside the lobby of the complex and in the gym during the attack, according to court documents. Police released the footage, which you can watch above, and said a person who knows Weir called to identify him after seeing it. Weir had used a key fob to enter the 9 on Canal apartment complex and knocked on the door of a locked gym inside the building Friday about 2:45 a.m., according to court documents obtained by Heavy. Police said in the probable cause document that Carina Rodriguez was inside the gym working out, and let Weir inside. Investigators do not believe that Rodriguez knew Weir. He was inside the gym for only about a minute, police said.
According to court documents, Rodriguez was seen on video surveillance in the gym alone at 2:44:16 a.m. At 2:44:48 a.m., a man with a “hooded sweat jacket approaches the locked door to the gym and Rodriguez opens the door” to let him in, police said. “When the male enters the gym, he has the hood covering his head, he drinks from the water fountain and while Rodriguez to continues to work-out. When Rodriguez walks past the male toward the (window) of the gym at 2:45:34 a.m., the male pulls something out of his waistband, and strikes Rodriguez causing her to fall to the ground. The male continued toward Rodriguez while she was on the ground, there was a short struggle and the male ran out of the gym at 2:45:48 a.m,” Detective Jose Torres wrote in the affidavit for probable cause.
Torres wrote that after Weir ran out, Rodriguez “stands up, staggers toward her bag, pulls out an iPad attempting to use it, continues staggering around until she eventually falls to the ground unresponsive at 2:49:36 a.m.” Police said Rodriguez was found inside the gym several hours later, about 6 a.m., by two men who live in the apartment complex. They called 911 and began performing CPR on Rodriguez, but realized she was already dead, according to court documents. Adam Lottes told WTHR-TV that his two roommates were the men who tried to save her.
“They came back from, well, they didn’t work out, but they came back in the morning from going down to the gym, which they usually go to every day at six, said they found a body laying on the ground,” Lottes told the news station. “You have your adrenaline pumping to work out, not to see that. (It’s) a little nerve wracking. I asked a lot of people about the canal [before moving in a few months ago] and they said it’s really nice and that usually stuff like this hardly ever happens here. It was a shock to me.”
Police said Rodriguez was found “unresponsive” with a “large amount of blood on the floor.” She had suffered “obvious signs of trauma,” including a “laceration” to the back of her neck, police said.
Torres wrote in the affidavit that surveillance video from outside the apartment complex shows a Pontiac Grand Prix parked in a handicap parking spot about 2:38 a.m. near the main entrance. A man matching the description of the one seen on the video inside the building was seen exiting the car and entering. “The white male does not have the hood up on his sweat jacket, which has a Batman symbol on the front of the jacket, and the footage shows the white male’s face.” The footage was released to the public Friday afternoon. After the video was released, Weir’s friend contact police to say he had recognized him, according to court documents.
The friend told police he had seen Weir wearing the same jacket with the Batman symbol, and “there was blood on his work boots.” He also told police that Weir drives a silver Pontiac Grand Prix. Weir’s friend said he told him he had “blacked out and could not remember anything. Weir told (the friend) he had been in that building before, referring to the apartment building, because a mutual friend … used to live in the building and they would go to the gym together,” according to court documents. The friend set up a meeting with Weir in a Best Buy parking lot in Avon, Indiana, and Indianapolis police responded there and took him into custody.
According to the affidavit, Weir was interviewed Friday after he was arrested. He first told detectives that he was driving around and eventually ended up in Indianapolis, “but didn’t really remember anything.” Without being asked, Weir then told the detectives he was the person in the picture, referring to the surveillance video, according to Torres’ affidavit.
“Weir also stated he still had a key fob for the building and it is on his key chain with his car keys. Weir admitted in the past he would park in the parking lot of the building, and use the bathroom in the building next to the gym,” Torres wrote. “I asked Weir if he carried a knife and he stated he usually kept a knife in the car, but he used it for work. Weir described the knife as a straight blade, like a dagger, it is still in his vehicle under his seat possibly wrapped in a sweat shirt because he remembered he had blood on his hands this morning.”
Carina Rodriguez.
Weir told investigators, “‘I remember going by there a couple times,’ referring to the apartment building. Weir stated ‘I remember swinging at her, I remember getting really angry, and going in there. I remember I was right by the drinking fountain, I remember I was trying to get a drink to calm myself down.'”
When asked how he got into the gym, he told police, “I think I knocked on it, and she let me in, and I told her thank you.”
He said he struck Rodriguez with the knife once, and she told him to take her belongings after falling, Torres wrote. “I had my knife in my hand, I remember hitting her and then I ran,” Weir told police. He said he hit her “Just one time, she fell down and she said ‘take my stuff.'”
“The IMPD would like to take this opportunity to thank all who called in with tips and our media partners for sharing information about this incident which led to the quick apprehension of the suspect,” police said in a press release. “IMPD is not seeking any other suspects and believe there to be no further threat to public safety in reference to this incident.”
You can read the full affidavit below or by clicking here:
Weir was booked into the Marion County Jail later Saturday on a preliminary charge of murder.
“You could tell he knew why we were there,” Police Chief Bryan Roach said of the moment police arrested Weir near a business in Avon, Indiana, where Weir last resided. “(He was) tearful at one point, knew it was happening, knew it was coming I think… It was encouraging, that you can tell a community that we have someone that impacted their community so bad.”
Police searched Weir’s car, a Pontiac Grand Prix, that was parked in a handicap spot near the apartment complex’s main entrance, according to court documents. Police said they found a Gerber-brand fixed-blade knife with possible blood on the handle and blade, along with a hooded jacket with a Batman symbol, a pair of jeans and work boots. Police said the clothing and boots also possibly had blood on them. A cigarette pack with possible blood on it, an iPhone and a key fob were also found in the car.
An autopsy was conducted on Rodriguez on Saturday by Dr. Mirfrida Geller, the coroner for Marion County. “Rodriguez suffered one stab wound to the right shoulder/neck area,
cutting the artery, the esophagus, and fracturing a vertebra,” Torres wrote in the affidavit. “Dr. Gellar ruled the cause of death was the stab wound and the manner of death a homicide.”
2. He Sent Sexually Explicit & Harassing Text Messages Including Nude Photos of Himself, to a Woman Right Before the Murder
Here are screenshots of Facebook messages a woman says suspect Cody Weir sent here right before & after alleged murder
A woman who went to high school with Cody Weir said the accused killer sent her lewd messages on Facebook just hours before Rodriguez was attacked, WXIN-TV reports. “It was pretty nasty, I’m not going to get into it,” Jessica Haines told the news station. “But it wasn’t anything you’d want your daughter to be receiving on her phone.”
Haines gave WXIN screenshots of the text messages, which you can see in the tweets above and below. Similar messages were sent by Weir before and after the murder, the news station reports.
The messages contained solicitations for sexual acts and Haines said he also sent her nude photos of himself. She told WXIN she wasn’t the only woman who received the messages. “I know about 11 different women who got the same kind of messages as me around the same time frame,” said Haines. She said she reported the messages to police and encouraged other women who received the unwanted “sexts” to do the same.
A detective told WXIN-TV that Weir is “a predator” who was prowling for a target of opportunity when he found and killed Rodriguez.
Haines told the news station that she remembered Weir having an “off-beat personality” and being “weird,” adding, “This honestly doesn’t surprise me. What surprises me is that this hasn’t happened sooner.”
3. Weir Was Accused of Raping a Woman at Gunpoint in 2013, but Was Found Not Guilty
Weir was accused of raping a woman at gunpoint in 2013, the Indianapolis Star reports. He was charged with rape, criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon, burglary by breaking and entering, intimidation and pointing a firearm at another person, by police in Avon, Indiana, in December 2013, according to court records. But he was found not guilty by a jury after a two day trial in November 2014, the Hendricks County Flyer reports.
According to the Indianapolis Star, Weir’s former girlfriend accused him of breaking into her home, holding her at gunpoint, removing her clothes by force and threatening to sexually assault her. The woman told police that he then sat outside her house and threatened to kill himself if she called 911. She said he also held the gun to his head. Weir’s attorney argued that there was consent and presented evidence contradicting the women’s statements, according to the newspaper.
“The judge issued an order for the Avon PD to release the handgun used in the alleged 2013 rape incident, a black Beretta 9mm,” Avon Assistant Police Chief Brian Nugent told the Flyer. “We were also ordered to the return the ammunition.”
While awaiting trial in that case, Weir was arrested by Avon Police in October 2014 and charged with driving under the influence, according to court records. His bail in the rape case was revoked as a result. He later pleaded guilty to the DUI charge and was sentenced to 60 days in jail in December 2014, which he had already served. Weir’s record in Indiana only shows speeding tickets issued in 2013 and 2009.
Weir is originally from Danville, Indiana. On his now-deleted Facebook page, where he called himself “Cody Deadmanwalking Weir,” he said that he served as an “11B Infantryman” in the Indiana National Guard. According to WRTV, Weir failed to meet standards set at basic training and was dismissed, apparently earlier this year. Further details of his military service were not immediately available. According to court documents in a paternity case involving his daughter, Weir was “on military duty” in December 2016, when a hearing in the case was scheduled.
4. Rodriguez Wrote in a Heartbreaking Facebook Post to Her Son,’I Promise to Never Let You Down & Focus All of My Energy on You & Only You’
Carina Rodriguez with her son, Luke.
Carina Jean Rodriguez was the mother of an 11-month-old son, according to her Facebook page. One of her last posts shows a photo of her with her son, Luke, and a message to him.
“I promise to never let you down and focus all of my energy on you and only you. I love you so much Luke.. forever and always ?,” Rodriguez wrote August 27 in her last public Facebook post.
Rodriguez was originally from Texas and recently moved to Indianapolis to go to school, raise her son and start a new life, friends told WXAN-TV. “She had recently gone back to school when she moved to Indiana and was doing amazing,” Ashley Lazo told the news station. “Always working so hard to get straight A’s. I mean, just the other day, she was upset for missing 4 questions on a test.”
“It’s just so difficult to believe how this could happen to such a good person. Everyone from friends and family to people she would just meet remembers her as so full of life. That’s how she always was, always welcoming everyone and never letting anyone go without a smile. And if a person around her was not happy, she would find a way to make them happy whether it be with kind words or with a smile,” Lazo said.
She was studying to get her medical assistant associate degree at Brightwood College, according to her Facebook page. In August she wrote a status update with the “feeling determined” emotion, saying “My goal is to graduate with honors this summer and of course go back to school later on to get my bachelors degree in the medical field.”
Rodriguez lived with her boyfriend in Indianapolis. She posted on Facebook in June about an early morning workout, similar to the one she was doing when she was killed.
Done with my workout for the day ??,” she wrote at 4:50 a.m. “Wifey duties while I wait for the sunrise so I can relax for a little bit and meditate. After that mommy duties and actually starting my day with Luke lol. Mondays are always the worse but it’s okay you will survive lol. Hope y’all have a wonderful day! Stay Blessed.”
In May, she wrote about how her new life in Indy was going. “Everything has been perfect since I left Dallas. I think this move was just what we needed. ❤️ Just got approved to move into our new apartment next week, I’m praying I get this clinic job by our neighborhood and that everything works out. I miss my family and friends so much already but I will see y’all soon❤️ Thank you God for blessing us with positive energy around us, being by our side and looking over my little family??❤️.”
Brightwood College, where she was studying, released a statement from President Brent Jenkins, saying, “The Brightwood College in Indianapolis community is deeply saddened by the death of Carina Rodriguez. Carina was a kind person and a diligent student who was well-liked by her peers and teachers. Our thoughts and prayers are with Carina’s loved ones. The school will make grief counselors available to our students, instructors and staff, as needed, to help them through this difficult time.”
Rodriguez’s son will turn 1 on October 28, and her 23rd birthday would ave been October 29.
A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help Rodrigue’z family pay for her funeral and memorial. You can make a donation here.
“I can’t believe the news I got today, so gut wrenching. I pray that God is watching over her family and most importantly her son, and I pray that he continues to guide them through life and helps them deal with this pain. So sad, so young and we were all so proud of how amazing she was doing. Please donate any bit will help her family in this tough time,” Lazo wrote on Facbeook.
Carina Rodirguez.
5. Weir Is Being Held Without Bail on a Murder Charge & Made His First Court Appearance October 17
Weir was being held without bail at the Marion County Jail on a murder charge, according to online records. He appeared in court Tuesday, October 17, at 1 p.m. before Judicial Officer Sheila Carlisle for an initial hearing, records show. He is being held for trial in December.
Residents of the 9 on Canal complex said they are concerned about security after the murder. They told WTHR-TV that a door heading to the gym area isn’t always locked, and one resident said ensuring that was always locked “would be a quick improvement, for sure.”
Sat. Night, fingerprint powder on the door heading to Gym where woman murdered at 9th and the Canal. @WTHRcom
“Cops in the lobby. There were obviously some small tents that were up for some of the evidence,” Cameron Schnick told the news station about the scene of the crime. “There were splatters of blood in the area. Awful, awful, absolutely awful.”
In a statement, 9 on Canal said, “”We are aware of a death earlier today in the property’s gym. We are cooperating fully with authorities as they investigate.” A spokesperson told WTTV that an exterior door to the building is not required to be locked because it provides access to another gym and a burger restaurant. The spokesperson told the news station that all doors in the building that were required to be locked were at the time of the murder, including access to the residences and the door to the gym where Rodriguez was found dead.
