Jury recommends life imprisonment for “serial child molesters”

After learning he had been found guilty of all 20 crimes, the man prosecutors described as a “serial child molester” told the judge he did not want to be involved in the sentencing phase of his trial.

Edward Martinez, 53, was convicted Friday by a Greene County jury after a weeklong trial. The jury took about an hour and a half to reach a unanimous verdict of guilty on all counts and was then tasked with making a sentencing recommendation.

Although it was Martinez who requested the jury’s conviction, he refused to participate in the proceedings, telling Judge Todd Myers that Martinez “doesn’t think it matters” because he believes the jury has already made up its mind , to give him a sentence of life imprisonment.

Myers spent several minutes away from the jury’s presence and explained to Martinez his right to be present at the sentencing hearing.

Myers also spoke with attorneys about possibly having Martinez present if the victims plan to give impact statements. First Assistant Prosecutor Elizabeth Fax told Myers that the victims had decided since they testified during the trial that they did not want to give impact statements.

With that information, Myers allowed Martinez to be taken back to jail Friday afternoon and the sentencing phase of the trial continued.

Martinez may have been right when he said the jury would sentence him to life in prison.

It took exactly 31 minutes for the jury to deliver its sentencing recommendations – the maximum on all counts, including nine life sentences.

Martinez will be formally sentenced in January.

Prosecutor: Martinez is likely to reoffend

Before returning to the deliberation room to consider the sentencing, the jury heard arguments from first assistant prosecutor Elizabeth Fax and Martinez’s defense attorney Jeffery Wood.

Both attorneys thanked the jury of three men and nine women for their service during the trial, which began on Monday, September 23.

Fax began by talking about the various purposes of sentencing, including rehabilitation, retribution and punishment. She said two important factors that come into play particularly in child abuse cases were the risk to the community and the risk of re-offending.

“Ask yourself, is the defendant the type of person you would want to see back in public,” Fax said. “I think the answer is obvious based on what you heard (during the trial).”

Fax reminded the jury that the case against Martinez spans from the mid-1990s to his arrest in 2021 and involves six little girls. Each victim was under 12 years old when the incidents occurred, with the youngest being 4 years old. The victims were usually the children of his significant others or his close friends – or the young friends of these children.

Fax then spoke to the jury about punishment.

Victims are already serving “life imprisonment,” prosecutors say

“When you sexually abuse a child, you affect their life for the rest of their life. It affects their relationship with themselves, their bodies, their future partners and their trust in men,” Fax said. “It still affects absolutely every single person you’ve heard of to this day. And for all six of these people it will definitely be a life sentence.”

Fax asked the jury to sentence Martinez to the maximum penalty for each of 20 felonies, including numerous counts of first- and second-degree child molestation, attempted first-degree statutory rape, and first-degree statutory sodomy. Degrees of statutory rape and sexual misconduct.

“What did the defendant do to earn less than the maximum?” asked the prosecutor. “Until your ruling today, there has never been any accountability.”

Fax explained to the jury why Martinez was no longer in the courtroom.

“That was a decision he made,” Fax said. “We don’t even have the defendant in the courtroom today. He made a decision that, in my opinion, is a cowardly decision. He cannot face this task today. He can’t face you. He can’t face me.

“And he can’t face the victims watching here,” she continued. “But these victims bravely faced him, but he cannot stand up to them.

“I think this tells you everything you need to know about the defendant,” Fax said, “who was able to live freely for 25 years while abusing children.” He would never be able to do that again. Six is ​​enough, as I told you in my closing argument. It will have to be enough.”

Fax was referring to three of the six victims – now all adults – who sat in the gallery on Friday. These three women supported each other throughout the trial, cried when the jury returned with the guilty verdict and said they felt justice had been served as they left the courthouse together late Friday.