Mental illness cited in Orlando shooting; Suspect had a 'classic case of stress overload,' his lawyer says
The engineer accused of fatally shooting one employee and wounding five others at the Orlando firm where he once worked is "very mentally ill" and crumbled under the stress of his divorce, bankruptcy and unemployment, his lawyer said Saturday.</br></br>Jason Rodriguez, 40, was ordered held without bail at the Orange County Jail, where he is under suicide watch after Friday's shooting. His mother, Ana Rodriguez, apologized Saturday, telling reporters she is "so sorry for everything that has happened. Sorry for the families involved. I'm really very sorry, it is very hurtful."</br></br>Public defender Bob Wesley asked the judge at a brief court appearance Saturday that police and prosecutors have no contact with Rodriguez without Wesley's permission.</br></br>Wesley told reporters that Rodriguez "is a very, very mentally ill person" who lost his emotional stability because of deep financial problems.</br></br>"This guy is a compilation of the front page of the entire year -- unemployment, foreclosure, bankruptcy, divorce -- all of the stresses," Wesley said. "He has been declining in mental health. There is no logic whatsoever, which points to a mental health case. It looks like a classic case of stress overload."