José Manuel Martínez (serial killer)

José Manuel Martínez (born 1962) is an American former self-described Mexican drug cartel hitman.[3] After being arrested in June 2013 for shooting Jose Ruiz in the head,[4] he confessed to killing 36 people across at least 12 states.[1] Martinez was arrested as he crossed the border from Mexico into Arizona.[4] He is currently serving multiple life sentences.

José Manuel
Undated mugshot of Martinez taken by Tulare County Sheriff Department
Born1962 (age 57–58)
Fresno, California
Other namesLa Mano Negra
Years active1977-2013
Conviction(s)First-degree murder (9 counts)
Attempted murder (1 count)
Criminal penaltyTen life sentences
Details
Victims9 convicted
36 claimed[1]
State(s)California, Alabama, Florida, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Missouri, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Arkansas, Oklahoma
Date apprehended
May 17, 2013[2]

All his victims were grown men, with the exception of one attempted victim that was a 17-year-old boy.[5] Most of his murders were debts-related for Mexican drug cartels, or sometimes just because they annoyed him, and he would say that all his victims deserved to die because many of them "had abused women or children" [2] Before he committed the murders, he had already been prosecuted for charges relating to drug offenses, burglaries, animal theft and stolen property.[4]

His murders have been prosecuted in several states. In Alabama, he pleaded guilty to one count of murder, and was sentenced to 50 years in prison in March 2013. [6] In California, he pleaded guilty to nine counts of murder in October 2015, and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.[7]

The June 2019 trial in Florida lasted three weeks, and the jury deliberated for three hours before deciding that Martinez would not face the death penalty which was sought by the state prosecution, and would instead face two consecutive life sentences.[8] Martinez's defense used family photos in their plea to spare his life [9], and over a dozen of his 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 Martinez, the "cold killer" vs the "truly dedicated father, uncle, grandfather,"[5] and that in the end, "the human side outweighed the monster side".[5] Martinez reacted to his sentencing in Florida by thanking his defense team for their work, with hugs and smiles.[9]

References
  1. I Killed 36 People. 2018-05-17. Event occurs at . Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  2. Garrison, Jessica (2018-05-17). ""I Killed Them All." The Life Of One Of America's Bloodiest Hitmen". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  3. "Jose Martinez, The Hitman Who Confessed To Killing Three Dozen People, Avoids The Death Penalty". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  4. "Hitman charged with nine murders claims he killed 30 more people". The Independent. 2014-04-10. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  5. Marcum, Diana (2014-04-09). "Alleged hit man confesses to more than 30 killings, 9 in California". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  6. Grass, Jonathan. "Alleged cartel hit man pleads guilty to murdering Decatur man". www.al.com. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  7. "Man who says he was cartel enforcer pleads guilty to murders". www.sfexaminer.com. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  8. Miller, Austin L. "Life in prison for drug hitman". www.ocala.com. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  9. Laude, Julia. "Sentenced to life in prison, Jose Manuel Martinez will spend the rest of his life behind bars". www.wcjb.com. Retrieved 2019-12-03.


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