A 23-year-old Colorado woman named Stacy Rodriguez will spend the rest of her life in prison after being sentenced for stabbing Christopher Dickerson to death and then setting his house on fire after meeting him at a bar in 2021. Another woman, Hosanna Varela, who accompanied Rodriguez at the time of the murder, was sentenced to 32 years in prison back in 2024.
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According to a press release released by the Weld County District Attorney's Office, Stacy Rodriguez and Hosanna Varela met Christopher Dickerson at a Greeley bar on October 2, 2021. Both women would then arrive alongside Dickerson at his home for a "casual gathering."
Tragically, in his own home, Dickerson was stabbed to death by Rodriguez. As per the Daily Mail, Rodriguez stabbed Dickerson multiple times in the neck. Following the gruesome and violent murder, Rodriguez and Varela set Dickerson's house on fire.
Both Rodriguez and Varela were arrested following the incident. Hosanna Varela pleaded guilty to first-degree arson, tampering with a deceased human body, and accessory to crime. Since January 2024, she has been serving a 32-year sentence.
A Weld County jury convicted Stacy Rodriguez of first-degree murder, first-degree arson, tampering with a deceased human body, and two counts of second-degree burglary. Judge Vicente Vigil sentenced her to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder charge. She received an additional 68 in total for the rest of the charges.
Court
Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Pirraglia was flabbergasted over Rodriguez's attitude in court, saying that it was a joke to her. "She jokes. She laughs. The jury got to see her true character, which is nothing but diabolical and despicable," Pirraglia said. "She is a threat to society and there's no place for her in it."
As per the Daily Mail, Stacy Rodriguez attempted to defend herself by claiming she killed Dickerson in self-defense.
"He pushed me onto the couch," Rodriguez claimed. "He gets on top of me and he's like holding my arms down and he's like still yelling. He's like over me with one leg on the floor and then one leg was on me." Reportedly, Rodriguez said she attempted to hit him with a beer bottle but missed. Subsequently, she grabbed a "shiv" that Varela had brought with her, stabbing Dickerson with it.
During the sentencing hearing, Christopher's father, Allen Dickerson, spoke about his son, saying that he did not deserve to die. "Chris did not deserve to die that day that he befriended those two young women," Allen said. "Chris deserved so much more in his life."
Michael Pirraglia thankes the Greeley Police Department for their work that allowed justice to be served.
"I hope this verdict brings some peace. I hope after today you get some closure in this journey," Pirraglia told the victim's family. "This family gave us the strength to keep going the past three years, and today we got justice for Christopher."
