Life in prison for convicted murderer Christian Martinez

The jury has reached a decision in the sentencing phase of the Christian Martinez trial, sentencing him to life in prison without parole Tuesday afternoon.

The deliberations took over eight hours. Judge Gonzalo Garcia read the verdict at 3:15 p.m.

Family members of Jovana and Amalia Florss confronted Martinez after he was sentenced. Prosecutor Bill Anderson read several statements prepared by the family.

One relative was in tears as she spoke directly to Martinez about how the murders affected the family, saying “Christian, I want you to look at us, and know what you did to us” and “Nothing can cure our broken hearts.”

Martinez had no reaction to the sentence or the victims statements, only nodding his head as defense attorney Jaime Gandara spoke to him while it was read.

Martinez’s defens team said they thought it was an appropriate sentence, but that they were displeased with the overall verdict of guilty.
Defense attorney Joe Spencer said he believes Martinez has a severe mental illness, and that the defense will be considerng the possibility of an appeal.

“Its something we’re going to have to discuss. The good part about it with respect to Chistian’s concern is that if we do the appeal, the death penalty will never be an option for him,” Spencer said.

Testimony from Martinez’s family wasn’t presented to the jury during the guilt determination part of the trial. Judge Gonzalo Garcia ruling they were not qualified to speak on the insanity defense.

Martinez was convicted of capital murder Thursday in the January 2011 stabbing deaths of Jovana and Amalia Flores. After Garcia officially sentenced him, Martinez was remanded into the custody of the El Paso Sheriff’s Office, who will transport him to the Texas prison system.

Because he was not sentenced to death, Martinez’s mental state will be evaluated by prison doctors to determine if he needs treatment for impairments or illnesses. He could then be sent to a secure medical treatment facility, or enter the general prison population with a range of possible restrictions.

Former state prison administrator Frank AuBuchon earlier this week described the different levels of prison conditions possible with a capital murder charge, and said that “based upon the evaluations by doctors and (Martinez’s) lack of criminal sophistication” Martinez would most likely enter the general population in medium security, or G3.

Martinez will be able to file for an appeal in 30 days.