(This story has been updated with additional information. Return for updates on the verdict.)
WORCESTER – Kevin J. Rodriguez of Lawrence has been found not guilty of murder in the fatal shooting of Randy A. Melendez Jr., 19, killed in October 2023 on the Worcester State University campus.
Lawyers for Rodriguez, 21, had argued during the Superior Court trial that Rodriguez shot Melendez in defense of his friend, Ruben Villa, whom Melendez and his friends were said to have been beating and robbing…