José Manuel Martínez (serial killer)
José Manuel Martínez | |
|---|---|
 Undated mugshot of Martínez taken by Tulare County Sheriff Department | |
| Born | June 13, 1962[2] Fresno, California, U.S. |
| Other names | El Mano Negra |
| Years active | 1978–2013 |
| Conviction(s) | First-degree murder (12 counts) Attempted murder (1 count) |
| Criminal penalty | Ten life sentences |
| Details | |
| Victims | 12 convicted (36 claimed) |
| State(s) | Alabama, California and Florida (convicted) 9 others (claimed) |
Date apprehended | May 17, 2013[1] |
José Manuel Martínez (born June 13, 1962),[2] dubbed El Mano Negra ("The Black Hand") is a Mexican-American former self-described drug cartel hitman.[3] Martínez confessed to an estimated 36 murders and was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of murder in multiple states. He is incarcerated at USP Victorville in California.
Crimes
[edit]Martínez was arrested in May 2013 for the murder of Jose Ruiz, a friend of his daughter's boyfriend.[4] During his interrogation by Alabama authorities, Martínez confessed to killing 36 people across at least 12 states.[1] All of his victims were adult men, with the exception of one attempted victim that was a 17-year-old boy.[5] Martínez said that most of his murders were related to debts to Mexican drug cartels. He may have killed more than 30 people in over 32 years.[6]
Trials
[edit]In Alabama, Martínez pled guilty to one count of murder for the death of Jose Ruiz in March 2013 and was sentenced to 50 years in prison.[7] In California, he pleaded guilty to nine counts of murder in October 2015, and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.[8]
The June 2019 trial in Florida for two counts of murder lasted three weeks. The jury deliberated for three hours before deciding that Martínez would not face the death penalty which was sought by the state prosecution, and would instead face two consecutive life sentences.[9] Over a dozen of Martínez's family members testified on his behalf, sharing stories describing the sacrifices he made to protect his siblings, and trips to Disneyland where he took his children and grandchildren.[5] His defense lawyer for his Alabama court case, Thomas Turner, described him as "polite and a likeable individual",[4] and another lawyer, John Spivey, said that it came down to two visions of Martínez, the "cold killer" vs the "truly dedicated father, uncle, grandfather,"[5] and that in the end, "the human side outweighed the monster side".[5]
Victims
[edit]In addition to murder of Ruiz in Alabama, Martinez was convicted of the following murders.[10][11]
- David Bedolla, 23 - October 21, 1980, between Lindsay and Strathmore
- Sylvester Ayon, 30 - October 1, 1982, near Santa Ynez
- Raul Gonzalez, 22 - October 19, 1982, east of Porterville
- Domingo Perez, 29 - April 8, 1995, north of Richgrove
- Santiago Perez, 56 - February 14, 2000, Pixley
- Javier Huerta, 20 - November 2006, Ocala National Forest
- Gustavo Olivares, 28 - November 2006, Ocala National Forest
- Jose Alvarado, 25 - February 15, 2007, outside of McFarland
- Juan Bautista Moreno, 52 - March 23, 2009, near McFarland
- Joaquin Barragan, 45 - September 30, 2009, east of Earlimart
- Gonzalo Urquieta - February 7, 2011, outside of Richgrove
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Garrison, Jessica (2018-05-17). ""I Killed Them All." The Life Of One Of America's Bloodiest Hitmen". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- ^ a b "Inmate Population Information Detail". Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
- ^ "Jose Martinez, The Hitman Who Confessed To Killing Three Dozen People, Avoids The Death Penalty". BuzzFeed News. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
- ^ a b "Hitman charged with nine murders claims he killed 30 more people". The Independent. 2014-04-10. Archived from the original on 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
- ^ a b c d Marcum, Diana (2014-04-09). "Alleged hit man confesses to more than 30 killings, 9 in California". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- ^ Gerber, Marisa; Gold, Scott; Marcum, Diana (2014-04-10). "Arrested in 1 killing, man says he was a cartel hit man for decades". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
- ^ Grass, Jonathan (20 June 2014). "Alleged cartel hit man pleads guilty to murdering Decatur man". www.al.com. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
- ^ "Man who says he was cartel enforcer pleads guilty to murders". www.sfexaminer.com. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
- ^ Miller, Austin L. "Life in prison for drug hitman". www.ocala.com. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
- ^ "Press Release Regarding Jose Manuel Martinez, "El Mano Negro"". Tulare County Sheriff.
- ^ Miller, Austin (June 13, 2019). "Cartel hitman convicted in murders". Ocala StarBanner. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
Further reading
[edit]- Garrison, Jessica (2020). The Devil's Harvest: A Ruthless Killer, a Terrorized Community, and the Search for Justice in California's Central Valley. Hachette Books. ISBN 978-1-5491-0589-0. OCLC 1183400969.
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- 1962 births
- 20th-century American criminals
- 21st-century American criminals
- Living people
- Mexican serial killers
- Serial killers from Alabama
- Serial killers from California
- Serial killers from Florida
- American people convicted of murder
- Violence against men in the United States
- Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by California
- People convicted of murder by California
- American crime biography stubs