A Manhattan man accused of waiting inside his ex-girlfriend's East Harlem apartment building before stabbing her to death is due back in court December 1, more than two years after prosecutors say he ambushed Melanie Woods as she returned from walking her dog. Candido Rodriguez faces charges over Woods's death, and his legal team has discussed the possibility of a plea deal as he awaits a pretrial evaluation.
Prosecutors Detail an Early Morning Ambush
According to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, Rodriguez entered Woods's East Harlem apartment building at approximately 6:15 a.m. on April 23, 2024, and waited for her to return from her daily early-morning dog walk. Prosecutors allege Woods came back around 7:15 a.m., and that Rodriguez stabbed her nineteen times in the neck, torso and leg shortly after. He is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with one count of second-degree murder, a class A-I felony, though a separate report from amNY described Rodriguez as booked on first-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon charges rather than the second-degree count cited by the district attorney's office. The Manhattan DA's office has also emphasized that the charges are merely allegations and that Rodriguez is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Woods and Rodriguez were in an on-off relationship, and she had asked him not to contact her anymore before her death. Neighbors reportedly heard shouting, crashes and screams from her apartment, and one neighbor heard a door shut and footsteps going down the stairs afterward. Per prosecutors, Rodriguez left the building and hailed a cab at approximately 8:05 a.m. that morning.
A Wellness Check, a Missed Flight
Woods never made a scheduled flight to California, and her mother and a friend tracked her phone's location to her apartment before friends requested a wellness check from the New York City Police Department. Officers found her unconscious and unresponsive in the bathtub, according to NBC New York, and her death was ruled a homicide. The station reported Woods was 33 years old, though amNY identified her as 31; amNY also listed Rodriguez's age as 51, while NBC New York reported he was 52.
Rodriguez told police he had been asleep at his West 22nd Street home in Chelsea and denied any involvement in Woods's death, the outlet's report states. A neighbor told the station a commotion came from Woods's apartment between 7:30 and 8 a.m. that morning, around the same window prosecutors say the attack occurred.
A History of Threats, Conflicting Wound Counts
Prosecutors told the New York Daily News that Rodriguez had sent Woods many one-sided messages that portrayed him as angry and hostile, and that she had previously reported he threatened her with a knife. The Daily News reported Woods suffered more than 20 stab wounds to her neck, torso and legs, a figure that conflicts with the Manhattan District Attorney's count of nineteen wounds to the neck, torso and leg.
As reported by Daily Mail, Rodriguez appeared in a Manhattan courtroom handcuffed and wearing darkened glasses and a beanie, arriving from a psychiatric ward. He was described as incredibly distraught during the appearance. Judge Ann Scherzer asked a photographer to stop taking pictures of Rodriguez, telling the courtroom this is an open court, and Rodriguez protested the photographer taking his picture. His defense attorney requested immediate medical treatment for him, and Scherzer placed him on suicide watch, the outlet reported.
What Comes Next
Rodriguez now awaits a pretrial evaluation, and his legal team has discussed the possibility of a plea deal, according to the same report. He is expected to return to court on December 1. Woods's family has described her as a loving dog owner who traveled and enjoyed adventure, writing that to know Melanie was to love her, and they have sought funds to bring her home to California.
The case echoes a separate one announced by the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office last week, in which a Manhattan man who broke into his ex-girlfriend's Brooklyn home and killed her new boyfriend, stabbing him several times, was sentenced to life in prison. No verdict or further court outcome has been reported in Rodriguez's case, which remains pending ahead of his December court date.
