Paso Robles couple shot dead in their home

June 1, 2010

UPDATE: The county coroner released the names of the couple Wednesday morning. They are Phillip Gordon Rodrigues, 73, and Sharon Lynne Rodrigues, 64. No further details regarding the shootings has been released.

UPDATE: San Luis Obispo Sheriff deputies are investigating the shooting deaths of an elderly Paso Robles couple found on the floor of their home on Tuesday.

It is suspected that the deaths are the result of a murder-suicide. KSBY said that the woman suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and her husband was battling cancer.

A person staying at the residence on the 2400 block of Rock Ridge Lane in rural Paso Robles found the couple at approximately 10 a.m. The male was found dead at the scene and his wife was transported to Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton where she was pronounced dead.

Sheriff officials are not providing the names of the couple until after their next-of-kin has been informed of the deaths.


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Sad story. The desperation to actually make and go through with a decision like this is something I really hope I do not have to experience first hand.


The below is a post that I left at the TT after reading the story.

“They described the man as being strongly devoted to his once vibrant and socially active wife, caring for her around the clock after she started suffering from dementia.”


This is so very sad. Dementia is such a devastating disease and 60’s is young to have this illness take hold. My dad had dementia and required 24/7 care. My mother refused to place him in a nursing facility and kept him at home with the help of care givers until she dropped. After that, she couldn’t care for him or herself and only then did she agree that he would go to a nursing home, she went with him, they walked into the facility hand in hand. They both passed away within months after entering the nursing home. My heart breaks for this man and his wife who he obviously loved very much. My condolences to their family and all who loved them. I sure hope we find a cure for Alzheimer’s/Dementia soon, it’s so devastating and leaves everyone feeling so hopeless.


An idiot left a post with the following excerpt. Frankly, it’s beyond me that anyone could be this dense.


“He loved her so much…that he SHOT her dead? What about asking family members for help or contacting County Social Services before pulling the trigger?


Yes, being a caregiver 24/7 is hard work. Ask any parent. But it doesn’t mean we shoot our kids when things get rough. Just a thought…”


Darn It Jordan, I would appreciate it if you logged off my PC after you post. I just posted a message from me not knowing that Jordan hadn’t logged off. Jordan is my neighbor who drafts off my cable and also works for me, he posted from my PC and he didn’t log off. This post was from me.


Darn it Cindy, isnt sharing your cable connection illegal? It is at least unethical. KAREN!!!!….


slowtime, it is not illegal or unethical. Many of us secure our cable access with passwords so that people can not access it although many of us allow household members to access our connection . At the same time if you go to a coffee shop you can log on to the internet using their cable access if they give you the password to access it and they do if you are a customer. Neighbors can rome looking for a connection, if it is not secure they can log on to the internet by drafting off you. This isn’t about my cable TV it’s about an internet connection which I can block with a password or not block. If I didn’t block it with a password many people could access it without any permission from me. I gave Jordan my passwords. Perfectly legal.


Explains a lot about the “recommends” which Cindy is always obsessing about.


ThomasPaine, not sure I am following you, are you talking about thumbs? Allowing someone else access to my IP address does not give me an extra vote in fact if Jordan votes on a post then I can’t vote on it. This site only allows one vote per IP address. He generally doesn’t stop by CCN more than once a week and often doesn’t post at all.


[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by SLO News, CalCoastNews. CalCoastNews said: Paso Robles couple shot dead in their home – http://tinyurl.com/22tfacz […]


You hit the nail on the head Mr. Dog.


Pretty sad that our society still embraces the right wing religious fanaticism of preventing those who wish it to die with dignity, in comfort and with the blessings of family and medical assistance. This may be an example of those who chose to ‘check out’ and had no other alternative.

More than all the so called illegal immigrants and large prison population we are probably going broke caring for the walking dead, many of whom would prefer to end their long and productive lives. We have defied nature (and religion by playing God with our medical practices) in prolonging often used up lives, at huge expense and grief to all concerned.

Though our great medical advances often prolong productivity and health, in many instances all we do is keep the money machine running. I hope this sad event will spark renewed dialog about the death with dignity movement that was in full swing during the last decade but was messed up, like almost everything else, by the bushies. Two times the feds interfered with Oregon in its attempts to enact sensible legislation to this end. And of course the ghastly Terri Schiavo case in Florida (where every pasty faced neo con dropped everything to pander to the fanatics trying to keep her pointless life going on tubes and wires) is ample evidence of the irrational nature of the debate.


Ah Dog never fails to go after all the mean right wing people. Now lets get some of this a little straight

and away from your usual conservative hating slant as usual.


I happen to know quite a few religious people and I would say that 75%+ have no problem with right to die. I happen to know that the Catholic church has talked about it and there is change going on there to. You just need to come down off your high horse dog and talk to some folk to find this out.


A thing I think is funny, is going after medical keeping people alive longer that are old and infirm. Didn’t we (conservative types) just get beat over the head with the health care bill that we were trying to kill off all the old people and now you are blaming conservatives for this after we were against said bill??


And Terri Schiavo was more complicated than you are trying to gloss over. The point there by a lot of people (myself included) was that the husband (who was under quite a bit of suspicion) was sure in a hurry to check her out. That was more the point to this. For example Dr. Kevorkian, I didn’t have a problem with a lot of what he did, if it was with willing participants.


Last it is funny that most times when you post you can’t make it without blaming Bush, using the word right wing or neo cons. Did the DNC give you your marching orders??


I make my own marching orders. I enrage some of my lefty friends at times because I refuse to buy the party line all the time.

I didn’t mean to indict all conservative or religious people, just the hypocrites who use these sensitive issues to herd their followers around for personal gain (Ralph Reed, Dickie boy and his clone, little shrub).

The hideous situation in Florida created by those pasty faced two timing slimeballs jumped on the issue to rally their troops (dupes), not for any sincere concern for Terri. It was not a complicated issue, it was open and shut. Terri was comatose (with no hope of recovery) for many years. Her husband stuck by her for a long time and not one shred of evidence was ever produced to show evil intent on his part. It should have been quietly handled in a few days with no fanfare. But no, Ashcroft and his gang of crooks couldn’t resist dropping all their obligations to fulfill their government jobs to raise a ruckus, for nothing but a cynical attempt to gain yet more political power.

Well, we shouldn’t spend this whole blog on our little differences. The main issue here is what happened, why, and what we can do about it to ease the situation for others who find themselves caught in this bind.

A little personal history: my Mom died suddenly. Many years later my Dad fell very ill and by our knowledge of his wishes and our own everything legal was done to hasten his passing since he had no chance to recover, he was gone in a couple days. I was by his side, it was sad as hell but he was comfortable to the end. I felt so lucky that neither they nor the family and friends had to endure the agony that plagued this couple in Paso.

I guess we agree about Jack Kevorkian, I consider him a hero (the feds (bushie feds) put him in prison-that was a crime).


That’s the thing I like about you dog. Even if we disagree you at least are brave enough to respond and debate an issue. Unlike the many that hit the thumbs down but don’t have the cojone’s to open debate.


It is to bad there isn’t more situations like your dad’s where wishes are known a head of time. People should put something like that in a will or let the one’s they know their wishes, before it is to late and left to the Gov.


The lack of prior notice was an issue with Terri in Florida if I remember correctly. I agree with you to the max. Just like making a will and wearing clean underwear to an accident so many people don’t cover these issues before it is too late. Everyone should have a living will, durable power of attorney for health issues (like turning into a vegetable) and so on. But many don’t, too much trouble. Too bad, makes things messy later on.

But my big gripe is even with those things the establishment can still interfere with one’s wishes, because of all the issues I pointed out earlier. If we got real, dealt with our human loved ones like we do (or should) with our dear animal companions, then all this nonsense would go away and we could talk about other things.


It does blow one’s mind that if my wishes are to be taken off life support or whatever and it is stated and witnessed at a time when I am lucid and in control of all my facilities, then WHY in the hell does big brother over ride, if this is indeed a free county.


Looks like no one is reading this anymore, and I might move on. But Big Brother just likes to throw his weight around. In the cases I can think of it was extremely conservative/religious factions who thought “God’ was being messed with. Actually quite the contrary but rational thought was tossed out the window, as often happens.


AND THE RIGHT TO A FORESEEN AND DIGNIFIED DEMISE, SHOULD BE UP TO THE ELDERLY,

““He loved her so much…that he SHOT her dead?” I’m sure a planned drug induced overdose would have been much less painful, if she was transported chances are she felt some pain, and then the poor family members who have to put the pieces back together for the funeral. Just seems this should of been taken care of at the hospital, in a less barbaric condition, just sleep my darling and I will be with you soon, kinda thing, instead of kaboom, time to die. Senseless pain.