60-year-old died after being dragged behind truck in Liberty County

Monday, June 14, 2021
Man charged in dragging death of 60-year-old in Liberty Co.
A domestic disturbance between a man and his mom's boyfriend turned deadly when the suspect tied the victim to his truck and dragged him a mile down the road, according to police.

LIBERTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A man is accused of killing his mother's boyfriend during a disturbance in Liberty County.

Deputies said on Saturday at 10 p.m. they responded to a call of a burning pickup truck on CR 2741 just north of Rye, Texas. Once they arrived, they found 60-year-old Roman Rodriguez dead behind the burned-out truck.

According to investigators, Rodriguez was involved in a relationship with the mother of the suspect, 37-year-old Robert Hoffpauir. Investigators said there was some sort of domestic disturbance in which Hoffpauir physically assaulted Rodriguez, tied a tow strap on him, connected it to his truck, and dragged him down the road for about a mile.

Liberty County said it is waiting to hear from the medical examiner's office for more on Rodriguez's cause of death.

Hoffpauir was arrested and charged in connection with the murder. His bond was set at $1 million.