An arrest has been made in a 34-year-old cold case murder in Lackawanna. Michael Rodriguez has been charged with second-degree murder in the 1979 death of his estranged wife, Patricia Rodriguez. Patti Rodriguez was found dead in Lackawanna's Holy Cross Cemetery on April 13, 1979. Her body was stabbed 108 times.
The case was re-opened by the State Attorney General's Office and State Police in 2009. Michael Rodriguez was ordered to provide a DNA sample in September. His DNA matched DNA found on the victim's clothing.
Rodriguez was arraigned this morning in State Supreme Court. He is being held a the Erie County Holding Center without bail. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, if convicted.