Landen Ballard, a 20-year-old Florida man, faces first-degree murder charges after allegedly shooting Lanessa Rodriguez, the manager of a We Buy Gold store in Fort Pierce. Police say Ballard showed no remorse after the killing on April 28. Surveillance video captured the casual conversation that preceded the fatal shots.
On April 28 at around 7:12 p.m., a colleague discovered 35-year-old Lanessa Rodriguez lying in a pool of blood behind the desk at the We Buy Gold store in Fort Pierce, Florida. Police arrived to find bullet casings and holes in the wall. Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene after being shot multiple times, including in the shoulder and chest. Surveillance footage showed Ballard entering the store with another man, engaging in casual conversation with Rodriguez for two to five minutes before producing a black firearm and opening fire. In her final moments, she reached for a phone to call for help, but collapsed as Ballard emptied his magazine and fled with his associate. A woman who drove Ballard to the store came forward to police later that night in Vero Beach. She told investigators that Ballard had contacted her to sell a gold pendant and spoke with Rodriguez on the phone beforehand, as Rodriguez had previously offered him work. After the shooting, Ballard bragged about firing twice then 'finished his clip,' police said. He asked her, 'Is it bad that I have no remorse?' while discarding the 9mm handgun and magazine out a car window. Officers later recovered the weapon roadside. The trio briefly returned to the store intending to rob it but left upon seeing police. During a call from the police station, Ballard reiterated his lack of remorse and said he planned to flee to New York. Authorities arrested him at his parents' house and charged him with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. He remains in St. Lucie County Jail without bond. Friends remembered Rodriguez, a transgender woman active in the drag scene, as an 'incredible person with a huge heart.'