Hundreds attend vigil for slain Lansing woman

LANSING – Family and friends gathered outside a Lansing hospital on Sunday to remember Bessie Rodriguez, a mother of three who died last week in an apparent murder-suicide.

"We all need to come together and support each other," said Brenda Densmore, a union steward who worked with Rodriguez at McLaren-Greater Lansing's orthopedic hospital and helped to organize the vigil. "This is just a good way to do that. It's good for all of us. We need this. I think we need some closure."

An estimated 200 people attended the vigil in a hospital parking lot off South Pennsylvania Avenue, holding lit candles and releasing Chinese lanterns into the clear, twilight sky. Many wore custom tee shirts honoring Rodriguez.

Rodriguez, 43, of Lansing was shot and killed Tuesday morning in a hospital parking lot in what police described as a murder-suicide.

Investigators said Johnnie Conner Jr., 44, shot Rodriguez before killing himself.

Police said the shooting stemmed from a domestic dispute but have not disclosed the nature of their relationship.

Friends and family members described Rodriguez as a selfless, generous woman who was devoted to both her job at McLaren and her family.

"She would do anything for anybody," said Rene Rodriguez, Bessie's cousin. "She was just a very caring person. It didn't matter if you were a stranger broken down on the side of the road, she would stop and help you out."

"(She was) the greatest woman in the world," said her brother, Billy Lewis. "She would help out anybody."

The vigil was organized by Rodriguez's family and members of the Office & Professional Employees International Union Local 459 at McLaren, Densmore said.

Friends are trying to raise funds to help the Rodriguez family, she said. One of Bessie's brothers, Arturo, who works in the city's operations and maintenance department, said the city has been very supportive of the family.