A Corona man was sentenced to 14 years to life in prison for strangling a 23-year-old Astoria woman when he was only a teenager, according to District Attorney Richard A. Brown.
Jose Martinez, now 22, was 15 years old on July 12, 2009, when he rode his bicycle on an Astoria street and spotted Carmen Saldana, 23. Martinez began to speak to her, then followed Saldana into her home that she shared with her mother.
When Saldana noticed that he was following her, she rushed into her apartment and locked herself in, Brown said. Martinez kicked down the door and began arguing with her. The fight turned physical and Martinez put his hand around Saldana’s neck and strangled her to death.
He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in December 2015 and was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years to life in prison.
“This was a senseless and brutal crime – made all the more unfathomable because the defendant was just 15 years old at the time,” Brown said in a statement. “A young woman’s life was tragically cut short and the defendant, now an adult, will spend a lengthy term behind bars to protect society.”
