Witness

Jessica Rodriguez

Prosecution witness in Trial 1 who testified about a 2014 package delivery at her Miami apartment linking Magbanua to a payment scene; named but uninvolved in Trials 2 and 3.

Appeared Magbanua Retrial

Mentioned Charlie Adelson Donna Adelson

464 lines · 3 appearances · 16 mentions · 3 trials

About

Rodriguez is a relevant archive reference for the payment-scene narrative and the evidentiary dispute over prior inconsistent statements, both of which are recurring threads in Trial 1; her explicit clearance by Rivera in Trial 2 and minimal footprint in Trial 3 limit her cross-trial weight but do not reduce the Trial 1 archive value of her testimony and the associated impeachment record.

Across Trials

Rodriguez's evidentiary role contracts sharply from Trial 1 to Trials 2 and 3. In Trial 1 she is a contested prosecution witness whose account generates dispute across multiple proceedings — a JOA motion citation, an admissibility ruling on her recorded interview, dedicated cross-examination of a law enforcement witness about her prior statements, and a defense impeachment theory built around delayed disclosure and date inconsistencies. In Trial 2 her significance is actively foreclosed by Rivera's explicit on-the-record statement that she was not involved in the conspiracy, reducing her presence to a single group-photo identification with no evidentiary weight attached. In Trial 3 she is a fleeting background reference with no role, no testimony, and no proceeding centered on her account. The arc across the three trials is one of sharp diminishment: a materially contested fact witness in Trial 1 whose credibility is both used and challenged, a named and dismissed non-participant in Trial 2, and a cohabitation footnote in Trial 3.

Trial Record (19)

KM Magbanua Retrial May 18, 2022 – May 27, 2022

Trial Summary

Prosecution witness and Rivera's ex-girlfriend whose direct testimony about a summer 2014 package delivery at her Miami apartment placed Magbanua at a payment scene, and whose prior recorded statements became the basis for defense impeachment through TPD Officer Sherry Bennett.

Appearances (3)

Direct

Jessica Rodriguez - Direct

Day 5 Cross

Jessica Rodriguez - Cross

Day 5 Redirect

Jessica Rodriguez - Redirect

Day 5

Mentioned (14)

Direct

Luis Rivera - Direct

Day 2 Cross

Luis Rivera - Cross (Part 1) Rivera's ex-girlfriend and host of the July 19th meeting where Rivera claims Garcia delivered payment. Defense noted an unrecorded phone call between Rivera and Rodriguez preceded a recorded law enforcement interview with her.

Day 2 Cross

Luis Rivera - Cross (Part 2) Rivera's ex-girlfriend and mother of his children; Rivera communicated with her by email from federal custody and used her account to reach Garcia

Day 3 Procedural

OJP — Proffer on 'Tato' iCloud Contact / Richardson Hearing Argument

Day 3 Procedural

Jury dismissed for weekend; exhibit list reconciled and Monday witnesses previewed

Day 3 Cross

Christopher Corbitt - Cross Rivera's ex-girlfriend; her address is the alleged July 19 payment meeting site; communicated with Rivera that morning

Day 4 Cross

Patrick Sanford - Cross (Continued)

Day 6 Procedural

Defense Motion for Judgment of Acquittal Denied — All Three Counts Proceed to Jury

Day 7 Procedural

Defense case opening logistics and ruling on Rodriguez impeachment recording

Day 7 Direct

Sherry Bennett - Direct Rivera's then-girlfriend; subject of Bennett's September 30, 2016, recorded phone interview; her prior statement on payment timing is the core impeachment material

Day 7 Cross

Sherry Bennett - Cross

Day 7 Direct

Katherine Magbanua - Direct Rivera's girlfriend and baby mama; Magbanua denied going to her house on July 19 2014 to drop off money, saying she was simply looking for Garcia for custody logistics.

Day 7 Closing

Closing Argument - Georgia Cappleman

Day 8 Closing

Closing Argument - Tara Kawass

Day 8

CA Charlie Adelson Oct 26, 2023 – Nov 6, 2023

Trial Summary

Named by Luis Rivera during his testimony in proceeding 161 as his former partner who appeared in a group photo; Rivera confirmed she had no involvement in the conspiracy.

Mentioned (1)

Direct

Luis Rivera - Direct

Day 2

DA Donna Adelson Aug 22, 2025 – Sep 4, 2025

Trial Summary

Referenced in one proceeding as a person a witness may have been living with at the time of the murder.

Mentioned (1)

Direct

Luis Rivera - Direct

Day 1