CASE FILE: This Grocery Store Employee Stalked and M.*r.d/e.r/ed/ a Single Mother
CASE FILE: THE RODRIGO HERNANDEZ SERIAL HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION
The Grocery Store Employee Who Stalked and M.*r.d/e.r/ed/ a Single Mother: The Cold Case That Revealed a Hidden K*l/l.e/r
Sexual Assault & Homicide Investigation Report
Narrative by Detective Brian Coldwel
San Antonio Police Department – Cold Case Division
PROLOGUE – THE EMPLOYEE WHO HID A KILLER WITHIN
Some criminals leave behind obvious warning signs.
Others appear ordinary until investigators uncover the truth hidden beneath the surface.
For years, Rodrigo Hernandez was viewed by some people as a quiet worker and a normal father.
He worked labor jobs.
He supported a family.
He did not appear to outsiders like someone capable of unimaginable violence.
But behind that image was a history of criminal behavior, aggression, and a pattern that investigators later described as escalating danger.
In February 1994, Susan Ver Sturgeon, a 38-year-old single mother from San Antonio, Texas, crossed paths with Hernandez while both worked in the same grocery and convenience store environment.
Susan was a mother.
A coworker.
A woman living an ordinary life.
She had a 15-year-old son who was the center of her world.
But investigators believe Hernandez had been watching her.
Learning her routine.
Following her movements.
Waiting for an opportunity.
One night, Susan disappeared after finishing work.
The next day, her body was discovered abandoned in a dumpster outside a nearby church.
She had been raped and strangled.
The crime shocked the community.
But investigators did not know they were searching for a man who had already committed another violent murder years earlier.
A decade later, DNA evidence would expose the truth.
And as Hernandez sat on death row awaiting execution, investigators uncovered another horrifying secret:
He was also responsible for the 1991 murder of 77-year-old Muriel Stoker in Michigan.
The case became a chilling example of how one offender’s violence can remain hidden until science catches up with the truth.
CHAPTER 1 – WHO WAS SUSAN VER STURGEON?
Susan Ver Sturgeon was 38 years old.
She lived in Texas and worked stocking shelves and vending machines at local convenience stores.
To those who knew her, Susan was:
A loving mother
A hardworking employee
A dependable friend
Her son was 15 years old.
Susan’s life centered around raising him and building a stable future.
She was not looking for danger.
She was simply going to work.
CHAPTER 2 – THE MAN WHO APPEARED NORMAL
At the time of his arrest, Rodrigo Hernandez did not fit the image many people had of a violent killer.
People who knew him described him as:
Quiet
Soft-spoken
A family man
His sister described him as someone who was kind and rarely angry.
But investigators later discovered another side.
A person with a long criminal history.
A person who repeatedly ignored rules and authority.
CHAPTER 3 – HERNANDEZ’S EARLY CRIMINAL HISTORY
Rodrigo Hernandez was born in Texas in 1973.
During childhood, he experienced instability.
At age 12, he moved to Michigan to live with his grandmother.
He struggled with:
Language barriers
School adjustment
Family separation
During adolescence, Hernandez became involved with the Latin Kings gang.
Investigators later explained that gang involvement exposed him to:
Violence
Criminal behavior
A culture where aggression was rewarded
CHAPTER 4 – THE ESCALATION OF VIOLENCE
Hernandez’s criminal behavior increased over time.
At 17, he was sent to prison after a burglary conviction.
It was the beginning of a long criminal record.
Investigators described a pattern:
Minor offenses.
Repeated arrests.
Increasingly serious crimes.
By adulthood, his behavior had escalated beyond property crimes.
It became violent.
CHAPTER 5 – THE NIGHT SUSAN DISAPPEARED
On February 18, 1994, Susan was working late.
Hernandez also worked in the same general environment.
Investigators believed he had opportunities to observe her routine.
They theorized that he knew:
Where she worked
When she left
When she would be alone
After Susan finished work, investigators believe Hernandez followed her.
CHAPTER 6 – THE ATTACK ON SUSAN
According to investigators, Hernandez targeted Susan because he wanted sexual control over her.
They believe he:
Followed her
Forced her into her vehicle
Attacked her
Raped her
Strangled her
The murder was described as personal and violent.
Investigators noted that strangulation is often associated with close physical contact between offender and victim.
CHAPTER 7 – THE BODY DISCOVERY
After killing Susan, Hernandez moved her body.
She was discovered in a dumpster outside a church the following afternoon.
The discovery created a difficult investigation.
Detectives had to consider multiple locations:
Where Susan was last seen
Where her vehicle was found
Where her body was discovered
Each location represented a possible piece of the crime.
CHAPTER 8 – THE EVIDENCE THAT FAILED TO IDENTIFY HIM
Investigators recovered evidence from Susan’s vehicle.
They found:
Fingerprints
DNA evidence
However, in 1994, forensic databases were far less advanced.
The evidence did not immediately identify a suspect.
The case eventually went cold.
Hernandez appeared to have escaped justice.
CHAPTER 9 – THE COLD CASE YEARS
For nearly a decade, Susan’s murder remained unsolved.
Her family waited.
Investigators kept the case open.
But technology changed.
DNA analysis improved.
Databases expanded.
A future arrest in another case would finally connect Hernandez to Susan’s murder.
CHAPTER 10 – THE DNA BREAKTHROUGH
After years of criminal activity, Hernandez was arrested again.
As part of his release process in 2002, he provided a DNA sample.
That sample was entered into the national database.
The result changed everything.
The DNA matched evidence recovered from Susan’s vehicle.
Investigators finally had the identity of the person responsible.
Rodrigo Hernandez.
CHAPTER 11 – THE FIRST CONFESSION
When questioned in 2002, Hernandez initially admitted involvement.
However, he presented a different version of events.
He claimed:
He and Susan had a sexual relationship
Her death was accidental
He made poor decisions afterward
Investigators rejected this explanation.
They believed he was minimizing responsibility.
CHAPTER 12 – THE TRIAL
By the time the case reached court, Hernandez changed his story.
He claimed the confession had been written by investigators and that he only signed it.
The jury did not believe him.
The evidence was overwhelming.
The DNA evidence connected him to Susan.
CHAPTER 13 – THE CONVICTION
In 2004, Rodrigo Hernandez was convicted of:
First-degree murder
He received:
The death penalty
The conviction finally brought justice for Susan’s family.
But investigators later discovered Hernandez had another secret.
CHAPTER 14 – THE MURDER OF MURIEL STOKER
In 1991, years before Susan’s murder, 77-year-old Muriel Stoker was killed in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Muriel was a vulnerable woman who lived on the streets.
She was known locally as:
“Mary the Bag Lady.”
Her belongings were carried in grocery bags.
Her body was discovered in a parking garage.
She had suffered:
Severe injuries
Multiple gunshot wounds
Sexual assault
At the time, the murder remained unsolved.
CHAPTER 15 – THE SECOND DNA CONNECTION
In 2009, investigators reopened Muriel’s case.
Advances in DNA technology allowed older evidence to be tested again.
The DNA evidence from the crime scene was entered into national databases.
The result:
A match to Rodrigo Hernandez.
The same man already on death row for Susan’s murder.
CHAPTER 16 – THE INVESTIGATION INTO MURIEL’S DEATH
Detectives traveled to Texas to question Hernandez.
They hoped he would explain what happened.
But Hernandez refused to confess.
Investigators described him as:
Polite
Calm
Controlled
Yet they believed he showed little genuine empathy for his victims.
CHAPTER 17 – THE FINAL INTERVIEW BEFORE EXECUTION
On January 26, 2012, Hernandez was scheduled to be executed.
With time running out, Texas Ranger Steve Jeter conducted one final interview.
Investigators wanted answers for Muriel’s family.
This was their last chance.
CHAPTER 18 – THE CONFESSION
With less than an hour before his execution, Hernandez finally admitted involvement in Muriel Stoker’s death.
He described the killing calmly.
Investigators were disturbed by his lack of emotion.
They said he spoke as if discussing an ordinary event.
CHAPTER 19 – THE PATTERN INVESTIGATORS DISCOVERED
After examining both murders, investigators saw similarities.
Both victims were vulnerable women.
Both crimes involved:
Sexual violence
Physical domination
Disposal of victims
Authorities argued Hernandez viewed victims as objects rather than human beings.
CHAPTER 20 – THE EXECUTION
On January 26, 2012, Rodrigo Hernandez was executed by lethal injection in Texas.
Before his execution, he said goodbye to family members.
At 6:09 p.m., he was pronounced dead.
His execution brought finality to two decades of unanswered questions.
CHAPTER 21 – THE FAMILIES LEFT BEHIND
For Susan’s family, justice came nearly 18 years after her murder.
Her son lost his mother as a teenager.
He later spoke about the pain of losing her.
He explained that punishment could never restore the years stolen from his family.
FINAL NOTE – DETECTIVE BRIAN COLDWEL
The Rodrigo Hernandez case shows how dangerous offenders can hide behind ordinary appearances.
A person can appear calm.
Polite.
Normal.
While carrying a history of violence.
Susan Ver Sturgeon was not just a cold case.
She was a mother.
A daughter.
A woman whose life mattered.
Muriel Stoker was not just another forgotten victim.
She was a person whose death deserved answers.
For years, Hernandez believed he had escaped justice.
But science remembered.
DNA remembered.
And eventually, the truth emerged.
CASE STATUS: CLOSED – CONVICTION OBTAINED
DEFENDANT: RODRIGO HERNANDEZ
VICTIMS: SUSAN VER STURGEON / MURIEL STOKER
SENTENCE: DEATH PENALTY
