A 40-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to 35 years in prison after he was found guilty of fatally shooting a man during a fight, according to a news release from the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office.

Miguel Angel Mujica was found guilty on charges of murder and unlawful possession of a firearm. 

According to previous reports, Mujica was one of two people arrested and charged in connection with the shooting death of 24-year-old Milton Rodriguez.

READ ABOUT MIGUEL ANGEL MUJICA'S ARREST HERE

Officers with the Edinburg Police Department responded to an apartment complex at the 200 block of Mojave Avenue on Oct. 7, 2021. Officers found Rodriguez’s body with a gunshot wound to the face.

According to the news release, Mujica was identified as the aggressor who “brandished a handgun before a physical altercation ensued,” prior to Rodriguez’s death.

Investigators also recovered a sandal at the crime scene, which was later matched to Mujica through DNA analysis.

Mujica was found with a handgun when he was arrested, the news release added. The firearm was confirmed to be the same one used to kill Rodriguez, the news release added.

“It is always a tragedy when a life is taken unnecessarily and a family is left behind to pick up the pieces,” Hidalgo County District Attorney Toribio “Terry” Palacios stated in the release. “I hope this verdict brings some measure of closure to Milton’s family and serves as a reminder that our office, along with the people of this community, will not tolerate senseless acts of violence.”

A second individual, Elizabeth Mujica, was also arrested in connection with the investigation.

Hidalgo County court records indicate Elizabeth has a pre-trial hearing on Oct. 27, 2025.