Oakland: Judge allows teen to return home, attend church while her murder case is pending

OAKLAND — A 19-year-old woman has been released from jail while she faces pending charges of assisting her pimp in the killing of a local motorist, court records show.

Nelly Rodriguez-Diaz, of Oakland, was released from jail in late September, but equipped with a GPS monitoring device and ordered to stay at home, court records show. At a court hearing last week, Judge David Pereda, who signed off on Rodriguez-Diaz’s release, also agreed to let her attend church twice each week on Sundays and Tuesdays.

Rodriguez-Diaz is next due in court in December, records show.

No such mercy was shown to the man accused of killing the victim. The alleged shooter, 19-year-old Shawn’t Lowe, remains jailed without bail.

Police say that on Aug. 10, Rodriguez-Diaz and another woman, both alleged sex workers, flagged down 47-year-old Alfonso Najera-Hernandez as he drove by in his vehicle. Lowe then allegedly emerged from a hiding place and attempted to steal Najera-Hernandez’s vehicle, but ended up shooting him in the process.

The incident occurred on the 1500 block of 12th Avenue at E. 15th Street, described by Oakland police as an area with a prostitution problem.

Rodriguez-Diaz’s lawyer claimed in a legal motion that the three attempted the carjacking after their own vehicle broke down, and that Rodriguez-Diaz was horrified that someone was killed. Her family described her as a “kind” and “gentle” young woman in support letters arguing for her release from jail.

Authorities say they’re still working to identify the other woman.