What did Carlos Rodriquez do? Texas man pleads guilty to Zoe Campos murder

On Monday, August 15, 2022, Carlos Rodriquez pleaded guilty to the murder of Zoe Campos, 18, who was considered missing for six years.

However, in 2019, her remains were found in Rodriquez's former residence. The 29-year-old from Texas submitted an open plea at his hearing on Monday, without an agreement from the prosecution.

If convicted, Carlos Rodriquez will face a life imprisonment sentence, with a minimum of five years in prison.

After Zoe Campos went missing in 2013, Rodriquez provided the police with a sworn statement where he denied any involvement in the 18-year-old's disappearance.

However, in 2019, her bodily remains were found buried in the backyard of his former house. Following this, Carlos Rodriquez wrote a letter of confession where he admitted to murdering Campos and hiding her body for six years. In the letter, he said:

"After five years of fear, guilt and shame I can finally make peace with myself and God. I want the people in my community and on social media to know not just part of the truth, but the whole truth."

He clarified that he had no intentions of killing her. According to the letter, they were smoking cigarillos containing K-2 synthetic marijuana. Rodriquez began hallucinating and thought Zoe Campos was a demon. It was then that he choked her to death.

"But things ain’t always what they appear to be and with that being said I would like to say that I’m not a murderer because never in my right state of mind will I have committed such a horrific act."

In a statement given by Carlos Rodriquez's attorney to KCBD, a "gag order" was imposed immediately after his letter to ensure a fair trial.

Nine years after the horrific death of Zoe Campos, Carlos Rodriquez pleaded guilty to the murder and has elected to have a jury determine his sentence.

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How did Zoe Campos die? Carlos Rodriquez's 2019 letter provides some answers

When Zoe Campos did not pick up her mother from her workplace for two days in a row, her family reported the 18-year-old missing on November 19, 2013. Carlos Rodriquez denied any and all associations with the teenager and no gravesite was found in his house.

Almost five years later, in 2018, a jail inmate tipped off the police to "move the concrete." Allegedly, Rodriquez, who was in prison for an unrelated stalking case, had confessed to him about murdering Campos. After Campos's remains were found buried in the backyard, Rodriquez was charged with her murder.

Soon after this, Rodriquez released a letter to the media which included a thorough detailing of his alleged unintentional act of murder. In his letter, he stated how he had developed a s*xual relationship with Campos.

On the day of the murder, both of them were high on K2 synthetic marijuana and as he started hallucinating, he mistook Campos for a 'demon'. Carlos Rodriquez wrote:

"When I turned to face her, her face looked different. She looked very weird in an evil way and I started to panic. But I couldn’t move...And when she opened her mouth to laugh her face started to melt and that’s when I struck her. She got up and I heard a demonic scream. I remember her running to the door and so I grabbed what appeared to be a demon from behind in a rear naked choke. I don’t know how long I was choking her gut. When I let go, I started to come back. I started to realize what had happened and my whole world started to crumble."

In the letter, he also admitted to hiding the body and lying about her death for years.

"Yes I hid the body and I had to live with this guilt and fear for 5 long years."

While Carlos Rodriquez did not ask for a dismissal back then, he insisted upon not labeling himself as a murderer.