Three-strike offender draws 86 years to life in prison for Tahoe Park murder

A man convicted of a fatal stabbing at a residence in Sacramento’s Tahoe Park area in 2016 has been sentenced to 86 years to life in prison.

A jury found Rodney Bruno, 54, guilty of first-degree murder in the Oct. 2, 2016, stabbing of 38-year-old Virgil Torres of Sacramento, and also found that Bruno used a deadly weapon in committing the crime.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny on Friday sentenced Bruno under California’s “three strikes” law, finding that Bruno had a 1980 strike conviction for voluntary manslaughter and a 2008 strike conviction for robbery, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office news release.

The stabbing occurred at a residence in the 2600 block of 59th Street, near 2nd Avenue. Bruno and Torres got into an argument that escalated into a physical fight, and Bruno stabbed Torres multiple times, according to the news release. Torres was pronounced dead at the scene.

This story was originally published January 5, 2018 at 2:36 PM.