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HAZLETON — A man accused of killing a convenience store clerk in the process of robbing the store in December saw the charges against him forwarded to county court at his preliminary hearing Wednesday afternoon.

Magisterial District Judge Joseph D. Zola held for court the four charges against 40-year-old Jafet Rodriguez, including one count of criminal homicide, from an attempted robbery at Craig’s Food Mart on Dec. 12, 2020.

According to information released by the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office in January, Rodriguez shot and killed Ashokkumar Patel while Patel was working behind the counter at Craig’s Food Mart.

Rodriguez allegedly entered the store around 9 p.m. Dec. 12, armed with a handgun and wearing a black face mask with his hood pulled up over his head, and fired a single gunshot at Patel’s head and neck area.

Rodriguez then collected loose cash estimated to be in the total of $14,000 before fleeing the store, according to the DA’s office. An autopsy performed two days later confirmed that Patel’s death was a homicide caused by a single gunshot wound to the head and neck area.

Investigators were able to use GPS data from Rodriguez’s phone and surveillance footage from the store to track Rodriguez to an auto detailing business on Diamond Avenue. A search warrant executed on the business uncovered a trash bag containing a red Nike sweatshirt, black gloves and a black face mask — all consistent with what the suspect was seen wearing on the surveillance footage from Craig’s Food Mart.

The charges were officially filed against Rodriguez on Jan. 12; Rodriguez was already jailed without bail at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility at the time based off of a separate criminal complaint in which Rodriguez was arrested on Dec. 19, one week after the homicide, on felony drug charges.

In addition to the count of criminal homicide, Rodriguez was formally charged with felony counts of robbery, burglary and theft by unlawful taking. All four charges were sent to county court by Judge Zola.

Court documents didn’t indicate a date for Rodriguez’s formal arraignment.

Hazleton homicide charges forwarded to county court