Worcester man receives life sentence for home invasion

A Worcester man was sentenced to life in prison Friday for a 2022 Fitchburg home invasion, prosecutors said.

Concepcion Rodriguez, 39, was sentenced to life in prison for home invasion. He received an additional prison sentence for eight other charges, Worcester County Prosecutor Joseph Early’s office said in a news release.

Rodriguez was convicted as a repeat offender, the DA said.

Rodriguez was found guilty of home invasion, two counts of armed assault with attempted murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm outside of work or home, two counts of theft under $1,200, and possession of ammunition without an FID card, the release said.

The charge of possession of a loaded firearm was dropped, prosecutors said.

Rodriguez was accused of breaking into a Fitchburg apartment in March 2022, while searching for someone who did not live in the home. Prosecutors said he fired his gun inside the apartment and stole items before fleeing the scene.

One of the people was inside the house during the robbery. They were not injured, Early’s office said.

“It is our position. Mr. Rodriguez was wrongly convicted and sentenced as a habitual offender. The law requires that a defendant be warned of potential habitual criminal penalties at the time of sentencing for qualifying crimes, and that warning was not given on either occasion. Moreover, habitual criminal punishment is harsh and violates the defendants’ Eighth Amendment rights,” said Kevin Larson, Rodriguez’s attorney.

He said Larson intends to appeal the “underlying convictions.”