Editing Johnny Rodriguez (section)

===Career in the 1980s and 1990s and murder charge===
Despite the outlaw movement fading from view in the late 1970s, Rodriguez was determined to stay on top of his game. In 1979, he switched to [[Epic Records]].<ref name="LarkinCountry"/> There he worked with the record producer [[Billy Sherrill]]. His first hit from Epic came that year with the No.&nbsp;6 country hit, "Down on the Rio Grande." His debut album from the record company was entitled ''Rodriguez'', although all the songs from the album were cover versions.

Although Rodriguez did not make the Top 10 continuously as in the past, he managed to stay in the Top 20, with hits like "Fools For Each Other" and "What'll I Tell Virginia." At the same time, Rodriguez continued to be a popular concert attraction. However, Rodriguez was also having personal problems, due to his drug addiction.<ref name="LarkinCountry"/> In 1982, he did a duet with [[Zella Lehr]] on the song "Most Beautiful Girl (La Chica Mas Linda)." The single was released by [[Columbia Records]]. In 1983, he went into the Top 5 with the hit song "Foolin'," followed by the Top 10 hit "How Could I Love Her So Much." However, by the mid-1980s, he was becoming less successful and, in 1986, he left Epic Records.

In 1987, he signed with [[Capitol Records]] for a brief period of time. He had his last major hit in 1988 with "I Didn't (Every Chance I Had),"<ref name="LarkinCountry"/> which reached No.&nbsp;12 on the country chart. By 1989, he had left Capitol.

In August 1998, Rodriguez shot and killed a 28-year-old acquaintance in his Texas home, believing the man to be a burglar.<ref>{{cite news|title=Country Singer Charged With Murder In Shooting|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1998/08/30/country-singer-charged-with-murder-in-shooting/|access-date=17 December 2016|newspaper=[[Orlando Sentinel]]|date=30 August 1998}}</ref> In October 1999, he was acquitted of murder by a jury.<ref name="Aquit">{{cite news|title=UPI Focus: Rodriguez acquitted on murder charge|url=http://www.upi.com/Archives/1999/10/13/UPI-Focus-Rodriguez-acquitted-on-murder-charge/2316939787200/|access-date=17 December 2016|website=Upi.com|date=13 October 2016|quote=A jury Wednesday acquitted country singer Johnny Rodriguez of murder in the slaying of a man found in his mother's South Texas home in August 1988. Rodriguez, who had a dozen top 10 country hits in the late 1970s, contended that he shot Israel 'Bosco' Borrego in self-defense.}}</ref>

In 1993, he recorded an album for [[Intersound Records]] called ''Run For the Border.'' In the mid-1990s, the indie label High-Tone released his album, ''You Can Say That Again''. He continued to tour around the country during this time. In 1996, he turned to another label, Paula Records, which issued "One Bar At a Time", but it was unsuccessful. By this time his musical presence was fading from the public view.