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Jesus "Jerul" Rodriguez was sentenced to two consecutive 18-year prison terms last Monday for shooting Nye County Sheriff's Office Dep. Harry Williams.

The defendant was given the maximum sentence requested by the state, in accordance with a plea agreement he signed just prior to going to trial last March.

Rodriguez entered a guilty plea to attempted murder with a deadly weapon, and will spend the first 18 years in prison for the attempted murder charge and the second 18-year term for the deadly weapon enhancement.

Dep. Williams had pulled over the pick-up truck Rodriguez was driving with three passengers for having fictitious license plates Aug. 27, 2006.

When the deputy approached the vehicle, Rodriguez shot at Williams several times, striking him in the leg just below the knee.

Rodriguez fled the scene in the pick up truck but was arrested the following month in Mecca, Calif., where he was hiding in a mobile home owned by his brother.

Tom Gibson, defense attorney, attempted to argue for a lesser sentence of one to two and a half years citing Rodriguez's remorse, reform, and the knowledge he was likely going to be deported given his status as an illegal immigrant.

"Mr. Rodriguez accepts full responsibility for the shooting of Dep. Harry Williams in the leg," Gibson said. "He's very sorry for his actions; he knows he's going to prison."

Gibson also emphasized Rodriguez's lack of a prior criminal record, which had only one misdemeanor traffic warrant on it.

"He's never been given probation, never given a chance to rehabilitate himself," Gibson argued. Gibson conceded that it was a serious first offense, but argued that the sentence requested by the state was extreme.

"We're asking the court to take into consideration that the officer was injured but not killed, and is back to work," Gibson explained. "The degree of injury and suffering is not such to warrant the maximum incarceration."

Deputy District Attorney Kirk Vitto, prosecuting for the state, told the court the state was requesting the maximum sentence in part because Rodriguez was a "ghost," referring to his many aliases and two fake social security cards.

"This was a cowardly and heinous offense," Vitto said.

Furthermore, Vitto argued that Williams' injury, although "not a mortal blow," was not less serious "for lack of diligence on the defendant's part."

The prosecutor then called Sheryl Williams, the deputy's wife, to the stand to testify.

The deputy's wife addressed Rodriguez directly during her testimony, telling him that she and her husband's five children were also victimized by the shooting.

"Five children, those are the victims," Sheryl Williams said. "Five children that weren't sure if their dad was going to be there when they came home from school that day."

Angrily, the wife explained to Rodriguez just how much the shooting had affected the family, especially how testimony given during the preliminary hearing alleged the deputy had threatened Rodriguez prior to the shooting.

"In the course of trial and testimony you marred my husband's integrity," Sheryl Williams said. "How dare you? How dare you say that instead of stand up and take responsibility for your actions? So it's justified to hurt another human being? There is no situation on the face of the earth where it is justifiable to take another person's life or to try and hurt them."

Furthermore, Sheryl Williams continued, she hoped Rodriguez would take responsibility for his actions to teach his own children a lesson.

"I hope that at some point in time, when you're sitting there, you take responsibility for your actions and for no reason other than to pass it on to your children, your children that you were so worried about, to never take the path that you did."

When asked about what sentence she would like to see the court give Rodriguez, Sheryl Williams said she would leave it up to the court but asked that they take into consideration that there was more than one victim in the shooting.

Dep. Williams also took the stand, testifying that Rodriguez "showed no remorse throughout the whole thing."

Prior to sentencing Rodriguez, Judge Robert Lane explained his reasons for the sentence.

"We do have both general and specific deterrence," Lane said. "We have let people know that we don't tolerate police officers being shot. We don't even tolerate them being shot at, let alone being hit. What you did was a very serious crime and after weighing everything I do believe the appropriate penalty had been set forth."