A Johnson County jury has found an Olathe man guilty of second-degree murder for causing a fatal wreck that killed a coworker following a workplace argument in 2021.
On Thursday, July 25, a jury found Ruben Rodriguez guilty of reckless second-degree murder in a fatal crash involving a motorcycle and SUV that killed Dade Smith, 23, of Overland Park.
The two were co-workers
Prosecutors say that on Nov. 18, 2021, at the FedEx Ground Facility in Olathe, where Rodriguez and Smith both worked, the two got into an altercation and were asked to leave by their supervisor.
According to court records, during the altercation, Smith asked Rodriguez, “Are you trying to catch another felony?”
Rodriguez responded, “I mean, if I have to.”
Following that, both men were told by a manager that they were suspended, and Rodriguez was told he was not allowed back on FedEx property, court documents say.
Rodriguez was the first to leave the facility and drove away. He then came back along 167th Street, heading west while, at the same time, Smith, who was on a motorcycle, was leaving the FedEx facility, driving east on 167th.
Rodriguez then slowed his vehicle and turned left into an entrance for the Bushnell Outdoor Products facility, located next to the FedEx facility on 167th Street, right in front of Smith, causing Smith to slam into the side of Rodriguez’s SUV, according to court records.
The impact killed Smith.
“When asked why he turned into Bushnell — and not FedEx — Rodriguez explained that he needed to go back to collect paperwork for house arrest,” a court document by Assistant District Attorney Kendall Kaut stated.
Update: The victim in this crash, has been identified as Dade Allyn Smith of Overland Park, Kansas. https://t.co/kmRXJdfDwK
— Olathe Police (@OlathePolice) November 24, 2021
Smith’s family sued FedEx
In 2022, Smith’s family sued FedEx Ground Facility, alleging negligence and negligent hiring, according to the Kansas City Star.
The lawsuit highlighted Rodriguez’s criminal history, including felony aggravated assault in 2015.
The family’s lawsuit argued that the two men should have been separated by the FedEx managers once the argument between them began in the facility.
That lawsuit was terminated in Oct. 2022, according to court records.
What’s next
Rodriguez is set to be sentenced by Judge Christina Dunn Gyllenborg in Johnson County Court at 9 a.m. on Oct. 4.
