The Murder of Dru Sjodin

Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. attacked his second victim in 1974 outside Crookston's Grand Theatre. In court, he said he saw the woman by her pickup in the partking lot, showed her a steak knife and told her to drive him outside of town, where he raped her.

The police finally caught up with Rodriguez and arrested him. He pleaded guilty to aggravated rape and to attempted aggravated rape and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, Star Tribune reported, that "the judge stayed the prison term to allow Rodriguez to be evaluated and treated at the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter." While there he was psychologically assessed and found to have a history of anxiety and depression, as well as "an alcoholic personality disorder with some paranoid, schizoid and antisocial tendencies."  

While on furlough from the hospital, Rodriguez was accused of attacking a Mankato woman, for which he was later acquitted. Then in 1979 he attempted to abduct and sexually assault a 69-year-old junior high school English teacher while she was out walking one night in Crookston. The woman fought back as Rodriguez tried to force her into his car. In a fit of anger, he stabbed her with a knife in her elbow and abdomen, yet she managed to break free and run to safety.

This is a 1987 prison photo taken after Alfonso Rodriguez was transferred to a Minnesota state prison in Stillwater.Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. as he appeared in a 1980 booking mug after he was arrested for kidnapping and assault in Crookston.

The woman, who was artistically talented, was able to draw a composite sketch of Rodriguez that closely resembled him and led to his capture. This time he was convicted for attempted kidnapping and aggravated assault and sent to prison for 23 years before his release in May 2003. During his incarceration, Rodriguez refused sexual offender treatment and was only counseled for chemical dependency..

Upon his release, Rodriguez moved into his mother's house at 210 Adams Street in Crookston and took on menial jobs, including working on a construction project hanging drywall. Those who lived in Rodriguez's neighborhood were aware that he was a convicted sexual offender. Yet, many of them claimed that "all appeared normal at the house" even after Dru disappeared in November 2003. No one suspected that he was involved in the crime. That is, until law enforcement officials raided his house on November 26^th and later arrested him.