Shooter convicted of murder in Virginia construction workers’ deaths

A man who claimed self-defense in the shooting of a man and his stepson at the construction site where the two worked in Northern Virginia was found guilty of two counts of murder.

Prosecutors said 29-year-old Francis Rose went on a crime spree at Assembly Apartments in July 2022, breaking into two homes, then killing 48-year-old Adrian Rivera Guzman and 24-year-old Juan Carlos Amaya Hernandez before hiding out in a stranger’s apartment.

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Rose's defense team admitted their client killed the men but claimed the workers attacked Rose before he shot them. The defense did not call Rose to the stand.

Witnesses testified they heard a gunshot, but by the time they could see what was happening, one victim had already been shot and the second was struggling to get a gun away from the shooter before also being shot.

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Rose had just committed a burglary nearby before the shooting, police said.

In closing arguments Thursday, prosecutors explained how a mother lost both her partner and her son in the shooting.

Jurors appeared shaken and emotional at times during closing arguments.