Israel Nieves emailed this picture of himself to his girlfriend when she tried to leave him, Orange County court records show. (Orange County Courts / August 1, 2011)

Jason Rodriguez, a handsome and talented Valencia Community College student, was caught in the cross hairs of a scorned teen's rage.

The 19-year-old amateur bodybuilder's life was cut short after he was shot in the head and neck Feb. 2. Eighteen-year-old Israel Nieves is charged with murder in the shooting that fatally injured Rodriguez — whom detectives say Nieves lured to an east Orange County neighborhood using Facebook.

Investigators said the motive was jealousy over Rodriguez's new relationship with Nieves' ex-girlfriend, who had broken up with him in November and filed a domestic-violence injunction against him.

Months after the shooting, Orange County sheriff's detectives unraveled the tangled technological web that led to Rodriguez's death.

The accused murderer — who is also a suspect in rape case and a lewd and lascivious case — is being held without bond at the Orange County Jail.

Rodriguez moved to Orlando from Gibsonton, south of Tampa, six months before his death to pursue an education in sports medicine and physical therapy. He worked at Publix and lived with a close friend he knew from East Bay Senior High School.

In his obituary Rodriguez was described as "very loving, outgoing, strong young man who struck the hearts of all who came across his path." Efforts to reach Rodriguez's family and friends were unsuccessful.

Court records show Rodriguez began dating a 20-year-old woman at the beginning of the year. It was her ex-boyfriend, Nieves, that investigators say is responsible for killing Rodriguez.

But while dating that woman, Rodriguez met another woman on Facebook. Or so he thought.

Her name was "Ty Ann," and in mid-January, they began texting and emailing. The two spoke once on the phone and had one video chat. Detectives interviewed a childhood friend of the suspect who said Nieves asked her to call and perform the video chat with Rodriguez as a prank and pretend she was "Ty Ann," adding validity to the online flirtation.

After almost two weeks of online communication, Rodriguez agreed to meet the woman at her house near the corner of Pavilion Drive and Holly Springs Circle.

Fatal 'date'

On Feb. 2 at around 10:15 p.m., Rodriguez pulled up to the house and waited in his green Honda Accord for "Ty Ann." He then sent a text message to his roommate about his impending date.

"Heading to the chick house ... by Valencia like right there I'll text for the I'm good," the message said, implying that Rodriguez would let his friend know everything was OK.

He was shot 12 minutes later.

A witness driving in the area at the time of the shooting told detectives the suspect stood next to the car and fired. The gunman saw the witness and began chasing after the vehicle, shooting at it at least twice, records show.

The witness told deputies the shooter was wearing a bandana over his face and a skull cap on his head and had on a red long-sleeved sweat shirt, dark pants and white shoes.

Rodriguez was rushed to Orlando Regional Medical Center where his family and friends stood vigil, hopeful that his strength and youth would overcome the injuries. He died a week later.

While Rodriguez was hospitalized, detectives worked feverishly to track down the suspect. After interviewing Rodriguez's closest friends and delving into phone and computer records, homicide Detective Brian Cross learned about "Ty Ann."

Elaborate ruse

Nieves went to great lengths to cover his technological tracks, detectives said.

He created a fake email address to make a phony Facebook profile using the name "Ty Ann." Nieves also used an iPod Touch software application to create a fake phone number that he used to exchange text messages with the victim, detectives found.

Computer-forensic investigators traced "Ty Ann" back to Nieves' cellphone, iPod Touch, email accounts and iTunes accounts, records show.

In April, investigators executed a search warrant at Nieves' parents home and found a black ski mask, black bandana, black gloves and a .32-caliber revolver in his bedroom.

That same day Nieves spoke with detectives and initially denied he had anything to do with the slaying. But soon Nieves began crying and admitted to creating the fake profile to "scare" Rodriguez and prove to his ex-girlfriend that Rodriguez was cheating on her, records show.

He claimed the night of the shooting he was drinking alcohol and smoked "embalming fluid," according to court records.

"I hope I never kill anybody. I don't know. I just had a blackout. I don't know what happened after that. I really don't," Nieves told detectives. "I never wanted him dead or anything. I don't remember shooting the gun. I was drinking a lot."

The relationship between Nieves and his former girlfriend was tumultuous from the start. Three months in, the woman said Nieves threw a punch at her, but missed and put his hand through the wall.

When she tried to break up with him, he emailed her a picture of himself with a gun in his hand. In October, Nieves forced her into his bedroom, put a knife to her neck and then traced the tip along her face, according to court records.

Then he raped her, she said. The Sentinel is not identifying the woman because she is the victim of a sex crime.

In November, Nieves threatened to hurt her family. Instead of acquiescing to his demands, she told her mother about the abuse and together they called the Sheriff's Office. Days later, an Orange County judge ordered Nieves to stay away.

Nieves is charged with her rape. He is also accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl after sneaking into her home, records show. Nieves met that girl on Facebook as well.

He pleaded not guilty in both sex-crime cases. Nieves declined to be interviewed, and efforts to reach his parents were unsuccessful.

Digital dangers

Rodriguez's slaying was the fifth investigated by Orange County in 2011 and the first domestic-violence-related slaying, according to local advocates who track such crimes. Because Rodriguez was killed by a romantic rival, Harbor House of Central Florida counts his death in its tally.

"We are seeing the number of collateral victims rise over the years," said Harbor House CEO Carol Wick. "People think that in domestic violence that it's just the victim who is in danger, but the new boyfriend or girlfriend could also become targets of the batterer."

But the case also sheds light on the dangers of social media, and the way young people often trust that people are who they say they are in cyberspace.

Rodriguez could have safeguarded himself by meeting "Ty Ann" in a public place, instead of planning a one-on-one meeting, said Hemu Nigam, founder of SSP Blue, a California-based Internet-safety company.

"In a digital environment, individuals have to realize that everything that can happen in the real world can happen online as well," Nigam said. "What that teaches us is that you have to treat your online life like your real life."