Lawrenceville driver faces trial in North Catholic student's death

A Lawrenceville man accused of killing a North Catholic High School student while driving a minivan in January smelled of alcohol after the accident and told police he was drunk and did drugs, a police officer testified Wednesday.

District Judge Carla Swearingen ruled that Angelo Rodriguez, 41, will stand trial for the death of Adrienne Keil, 17, of Bloomfield, and for severely injuring Sheldon Hawkins on Jan. 27. He is accused of driving a minivan onto a sidewalk in Friendship and hitting them.

Pittsburgh police Officer David Sisak testified at a hearing yesterday in City Court, Downtown, that he found Rodriguez under a porch with jackets covering his body after the accident.

"He was crying and kept asking me, 'Are they OK• Are they dead,'" Sisak testified. "He told me, 'I'm sorry. I'm drunk. I do drugs.' "

Rodriguez stared at the floor during the entire hearing, crying through some of it. He is facing several charges, including involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault.

"The person that I feel for is the girl that died," said the defendant's father, Angelo Rodriguez Sr., of Wilkinsburg. "This accident is terrible."

Keil died at the scene. Hawkins, 25, who did not know Keil, was taken to a hospital with fractures in both legs and knees, two broken ankles, a broken left arm and a torn artery, police said.

Hawkins' relatives said he recently left the hospital and is recovering in a rehabilitation home. They declined further comment.

Pittsburgh police Officer Glenn Aldridge testified that Rodriguez's blood-alcohol level was 0.153 percent and that marijuana was present in his blood. Rodriguez was driving at least 29 mph when the minivan struck Keil and Hawkins, Aldridge said.

Rodriguez's attorney, Christopher Patarini, argued that prosecutors failed to prove manslaughter.

Connie Keil, Adrienne's mother, declined to comment.