An Arizona family is suing Cox cable company after one of the cable companies’ outsourced technicians executed their son in a botched break-in. That ex-contractor is now sitting on death row.

AZCentral reports the two first met while the son, Rudy, was walking the dog and encountered the cable guy, Gallardo, who was standing around after he had missed a ride to work.

According to a deposition filed by Gallardo, he was wearing a Cox cable shirt and the two struck up a conversation about how Rudy’s internet was slow. The tech removed his keys and opened up the cable box and said he would be back later with a partner to investigate. He asked for phone numbers and when people would be home at the house. Rudy said that he was going to be in school all week, but forgot to say he would be home all Friday.

According to AZ Central, what happened next was:

On Dec. 9, 2005, Gallardo called the house at 12:24 p.m. When no answered, he broke in.
According to accounts at the criminal trial, Rudy confronted Gallardo but was overpowered. His hands and feet were tied with electrical cords. A pillowcase was put over his head. He was forced to his knees and executed in his parents’ bedroom.

Rudy Sr., can barely choke out the words, to describe finding his son. “I went down and grabbed him and there was no life,” he said, sobbing. “No life to his body. He was already getting cold.”

They say their son would never have given their unpublished number to a stranger, or told him when the house would be empty. Because Gallardo worked for Cox, he would have assumed it was OK.

The man had already served 16 years in prison for armed robbery, burglary and other crimes.

Cable companies run risks of getting more bad apples per barrel when they outsource their technician services to outside companies. It’s incumbent upon the cable companies to mandate their vendors require background and criminal checks before making hires, and to make sure the vendors aren’t just checking off a box when they say that they’re doing them. If Cox had done that, Rudy might still be alive today.

Couple suing Cox over death of their son [AZcentral] (Thanks to Mike!)

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