Police captured a Rockville Centre man, one of "America's Most Wanted" fugitives, as he literally reached the end of his rope Thursday.
Ronald Rodriguez, 28, was on the run for nearly one year after he allegedly murdered 27-year-old Bilah McGraw of Uniondale.
Police caught up with Rodriguez in Coney Island, Brooklyn, where he is said to have been residing in various apartments. According to police, Rodriguez tied a rope to some furniture and climbed out a window in an effort to escape. However, police said the window he exited from was on the eighth floor of the building, and the rope was just 9 feet long.
"When he got to the end of the rope, he had no place to go," Nassau Det. Lt. Michael Fleming said. "[He] climbed back up into the apartment and then he surrendered."
On October 3, 2006, Rodriguez was smashing bottles on Terrace Avenue in Hempstead when McGraw threatened to contact police if he didn't stop, authorities said. Rodriguez then allegedly retrieved a shotgun from an alley and fired at McGraw, killing him instantly, Fleming said.
"Long Island Fugitive Finder," a free magazine available at police precincts, ran Rodriguez's picture on its cover after Rodriguez purportedly fled. As a result, America's Most Wanted got involved, airing the story in June.