Leesburg Man Sentenced After Second-Degree Murder Plea

LEESBURG, VA — A Leesburg man was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with seven years suspended, in Loudoun County Circuit Court on Monday after pleading guilty to one count of second-degree murder in a 2020 incident in a residence on Fort Evans Road SE.

Along with the prison sentence, Joseph Lucio III, who was 20-years-old at the time of the incident, was sentenced to three years of supervised probation and 120 hours of community service.

At about 4 a.m. on April 7, 2020, Leesburg police officers were called to a residence in the 100 block of Fort Evans Road SE for a report of an adult male in cardiac arrest. Upon arrival, officers located a man with apparent trauma to his face and head.

Joel Rodriguez-Quezada, 48, of Leesburg was later declared dead by Loudoun County Fire Rescue. It was determined that Lucio and Rodriquez-Quezada, who were housemates, were involved in a fight sometime overnight in the residence.

Lucio remained on the scene and was taken into custody. Lucio was subsequently charged with one count of first-degree murder.

In January, Lucio entered a guilty plea to one count of second-degree murder in the Loudoun County Circuit Court.

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