N.J. man sentenced for fatally stabbing ex in front of their baby nearly 3 decades ago
06/20/2023 11:36 am PDT
MAYS LANDING, N.J. (TCD) -- A 53-year-old man who was once featured on "America’s Most Wanted" will spend two decades behind bars for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in 1994 and fleeing to Mexico for nearly three decades.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office announced Monday, June 19, that Francisco Martinez was sentenced to 20 years in New Jersey State Prison for killing Patricia Boney. Prior to his sentencing, he unsuccessfully attempted to withdrawal his guilty plea.
On Feb. 25, 1994, Martinez reportedly went to Boney’s home on North Harding Highway in Buena Borough, New Jersey, to "confront Boney, who had moved on from him and had no desire to reunite." According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Martinez, who was 24 years old at the time, stabbed Boney at least 17 times in front of their 1-year-old child while she was in bed.
Martinez reportedly stole Boney’s 1982 Camaro and fled the scene before Boney’s 9- and 11-year-old children found Boney and called 911. The Prosecutor’s Office said she was covered in blood on the bed alongside her and Martinez’s baby.
Officials responded to the scene, and Boney was reportedly able to identify Martinez as the suspect before her death. An autopsy report determined Boney suffered "defensive wounds on her arms and hands," as well as a 4 1/2-inch stab wound to her heart.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, officials found Boney’s vehicle in Houston, Texas, on March 8, 1994. Investigators determined Martinez "crossed the border into Mexico, where he successfully hid under an assumed identify for over 25 years."
New Jersey State Police listed Martinez as one of their "Most Wanted" fugitives on charges of murder and unlawful possession of a weapon. U.S. Marshals apprehended Martinez in Mexico, and he was eventually extradited back to New Jersey, where he was booked into the Atlantic County Jail last year.
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