Arrest made in Cleveland cold case murders

     Antonio and Luz Rodriguez were discovered murdered in their Cleveland home, located on W. Waco St., on April 14, 2005. The Liberty County couple was discovered by their daughter, Carolina Tejada. 

     Members of the Cleveland Police Department, along with the Texas Rangers, investigated the initial crime scene. Blood was located in numerous areas within the home, including on a large rug, which was seized during the investigation and sent to the Texas DPS Criminal Laboratory. 

     Unidentified suspect DNA was discovered at the laboratory and entered into CODIS, the Combined DNA Index System database. CODIS is used by law enforcement to identify potential suspects in cases where DNA evidence is available. 

     At the time, there were no matches to the DNA found at the crime scene to any DNA already available within the CODIS database, leading the subsequent investigation to be deemed a cold case following extensive investigative work. 

     On March 2, 2021, detectives with the Cleveland PD were notified of a match found within CODIS. At the request of the Cleveland PD detectives, Texas Ranger Brandon Bess joined the investigation. Bess is assigned to the Unsolved Crimes Investigation Program, which is responsible for investigating cold cases. 

     CODIS reported that the DNA evidence from the carpet in the Rodriguez family home, which had been unknown since the initial investigation into the homicides, was a match to Shelley Susan Thompson. Thompson is a 41-year-old Caucasian female who, at the time of the CODIS match, was serving a sentence in a Texas prison for an unrelated offense. 

     Ranger Bess and the Cleveland PD detectives traveled to meet Thompson at the prison in Gatesville where she was being held. While there, they conducted an extensive interview and obtained a buccal swab from her to compare to the DNA found at the crime scene. 

     Upon questioning, Thompson denied any knowledge of the crime and claimed that she could not recall ever being in Cleveland or Liberty County. The suspect also denied any knowledge of the Rodriguez family. 

     The officers extensively searched Thompson's background and criminal history, finding she had been investigated for numerous drug and property-related offenses. However, no felony convictions led her to prison until 2021. 

     In 2022, after comparing the DNA from the buccal swab to the crime scene evidence, the Texas DPS Laboratory confirmed the CODIS match, reaffirming that the DNA did belong to Thompson. 

     Investigators conferred with Liberty County District Attorney Jennifer Bergman, who reviewed the case and concurred that there was sufficient cause for an arrest warrant to be issued for Thompson. 

     On July 5, Justice of the Peace Ralph Fuller issued the warrant for Thompson's arrest for Capital Murder and set the bond at $1 million. 

     Thompson, now known as Shelley Susan Thompson-Lemoine, had been released from prison and was residing on Duncan Dr. in Freeport. She was arrested on July 8 at the parole office in Angleton by a Texas Ranger and detectives from the Cleveland PD. 

"Mr. Antonio and Mrs. Luz Rodriguez were very good people in the Cleveland community," said Cleveland Police Chief Darrel Broussard, who added that "both are worthy of justice being sought to the full extent of the law."

     Luz and Antonio were beloved members of the local community and were always willing to lend a helping hand or give a warm meal to friends or those in need. 

     Antonio was a US Army WWII Combat Veteran. Following the war, he and Luz raised 13 children while working in the farming community of San Benito, where they harvested and sold produce, eventually owning and operating the Rodriguez Fruit Stand and Grocery Store in San Benito. 

     They sold the San Benito business and moved to Cleveland in 1984, where they were active in both the community and the Cleveland VFW. They also operated a small Mexican restaurant from their residence, where they served shift workers from a local plywood mill. 

     The family was known to cater to the workers at all hours of the day and night, making them a beloved fixture of the local Hispanic community for their generosity and hospitality to everyone they encountered.