SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - A Springfield man was sentenced to 16 to 18 years in prison in the stabbing death of a victim in August 2024.

“This plea holds the defendant accountable for a violent act that took another person’s life,” said Hampden District Attorney Gulluni.

Around 3 a.m. on Aug. 11, 32-year-old Luis Rodriguez-Cruz and 32-year-old Efrain Cosme, both of Springfield, were arguing outside. The argument occurred on the porch of an apartment building at State and Terrace streets.

The pair were arguing about drugs and money and the fight eventually turned physical, the Hampden District Attorney’s office said.

Rodriguez-Cruz stabbed Cosme 13 times, including three fatal stab wounds to his neck, torso, and upper arm.

Cosme was transported to Baystate Medical Center and pronounced deceased.

Two days later, Springfield police found Rodriguez-Cruz and placed him under arrest in a parking lot on Main Street. A loaded 9mm firearm was found on his person. The DA’s office said he did not have a valid license to carry it.

Rodriguez-Cruz pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was also charged with carrying a firearm without a license and possession of a loaded gun.

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