R.I. woman sentenced for killing boyfriend’s grandmother and pawning her belongings for drugs
02/03/2024 5:47 am PST
BRISTOL, R.I. (TCD) -- A judge sentenced a 28-year-old woman to over three decades in prison for suffocating her boyfriend’s grandmother and stealing her personal belongings, which she sold for drug money.
The Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office announced Thursday, Feb. 1, that Selena Martinez was ordered to spend 60 years behind bars for killing 62-year-old Eudora Gustafson in 2017, though she will only be incarcerated for 35. Martinez pleaded guilty on Jan. 19 to one count of second-degree murder, one count of conspiracy to commit murder, four counts of receiving stolen goods less than $1,500, one count of forgery, and one count of obtaining property under false pretenses less than $1,500.
Martinez’s boyfriend, Raymond Paiva IV, was sentenced in October to 60 years in prison with 20 years suspended after he pleaded guilty to the same charges, except he had one more count of forgery.
According to the attorney general’s office, on Feb. 10, 2017, Martinez had used heroin and wanted money for more drugs. She and Paiva were at Gustafson’s house, and at 3:15 p.m., Gustafson’s husband left for work. Martinez reportedly attacked Gustafson to get access to her car keys.
The statement says Martinez "restrained the victim while she and Paiva attacked her with a pillow and covered her head with a trash bag with the drawstring drawn tightly around her neck."
Martinez stole Gustafson’s checkbook, rings, jewelry, and money, then drove off in her car. Martinez reportedly sold Gustafson’s belongings at a pawnshop at approximately 7 p.m. and purchased heroin nearby.
Providence Police caught Martinez and arrested her. Martinez’s DNA was reportedly found on the trash bag used to suffocate Gustafson.
Attorney General Peter Neronha said, "Tragedies like these are particularly tough to comprehend. The defendant is a deeply troubled woman who senselessly murdered and robbed her boyfriend’s grandmother to obtain money to buy drugs, and the victim’s family is left to pick up the pieces."
He said he hopes Martinez "gets the help she needs in prison" and that it can provide some relief to Gustafson’s family.
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