A man who admitted trying to kill the mother of his three-year-old daughter during a custody dispute has been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison. Ezekiel Sanderful received the term after pleading guilty to attempted murder and related charges in Lancaster County court.
Ezekiel Sanderful, 33, was sentenced by Judge Merrill Spahn to 13 and a half to 40 years in state prison. He had pleaded guilty to attempted murder, aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of children.
The shooting occurred on December 9, 2024, at Sanderful's home on Reinholds Road in East Cocalico Township. Prosecutors said he lured Stacy Rodriguez there under the pretense of returning their daughter, then shot her multiple times at close range while the child was nearby.
Rodriguez survived but suffered 19 bullet wounds, permanent vision loss in one eye and lasting pain. In court she told Sanderful, "You tried to violently execute me," and described pleading for her life during the attack.
Sanderful apologized at sentencing and expressed a desire to deter other men from similar actions. The judge noted that emergency care and good fortune spared Rodriguez's life.