Driver guilty of murder in American River Parkway crash with bicyclist in Sacramento

A jury on Monday found a man guilty of second-degree murder for driving intoxicated and hitting a 76-year-old bicyclist along the American River Parkway in Sacramento, prosecutors said.

Armando Moreno-Rodriguez, 27, also was found guilty of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, hit-and-run and driving with a suspended license in the collision nearly two years ago that killed Michael Dodson of Sacramento, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday afternoon in a news release.

Moreno-Rodriguez had three previous driving under the influence convictions in which he was warned by the court that driving intoxicated is dangerous, and another DUI-related vehicle collision could lead to a murder charge if someone is killed as a result.

The collision that killed Dodson occurred June 29, 2021, on the parkway’s bicycle and pedestrian trail near the 1200 block of Tribute Road, just just west of the Capital City Freeway overcrossing in the Point West neighborhood.

Prosecutors said Moreno-Rodriguez drove through a main gate and onto the parkway trail at 35 mph and continued for about 4 miles before hitting Dodson, a member of the bicycling club Sacramento Wheelmen.

After hitting Dodson with the vehicle, Moreno-Rodriguez continued driving until his vehicle seized due to damage, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Moreno-Rodriguez’s blood-alcohol level was 0.27%, more than three times the legal limit.

Dodson suffered major injuries in the collision and died nearly a month later at a hospital.

Moreno-Rodriguez remained in custody Tuesday at the Sacramento County Main Jail. He is scheduled to return June 9 for his sentencing hearing in Sacramento Superior Court.

Prosecutors said Moreno-Rodriguez faces a maximum sentence of 15 years and eight months in prison.