Paterson Man Found Guilty Of Murder In July 2021 Double Stabbing Death
Monday, April 21, 2025, 6:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
PATERSON, NJ.- On Wednesday, April 16, 2025, a 36-year-old Paterson, New Jersey, man is facing up to life in New Jersey State Prison after being convicted in Passaic County Superior Court for the stabbing deaths of two men that occurred outside his Paterson, New Jersey home in July 2021.
According to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, the jury deliberated for just around one day before finding Jose Martinez, 36, of Paterson, guilty of two counts of first-degree Murder; first-degree Conspiracy to Commit Murder; third-degree Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon; third-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose; and fourth-degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.
Following the jury returning their findings of guilt on Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Sohail Mohammed accepted the jury’s verdict and scheduled sentencing for June 5, 2025. At that time, Martinez faces a mandatory minimum 30 years and up to life in New Jersey State Prison.
During the trial, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office presented evidence that on July 5, 2021, Martinez and his co-defendant Francisco Martinez stabbed Jamie Hernandez and Johnny Jimenez to death and stabbed Jeremiah Rivera during an altercation that took place outside Martinez’s Totowa Avenue home in the City of Paterson.
Passaic County Assistant Prosecutor Ali Y. Ozbek and Senior Assistant Prosecutor in Charge Evan Mongiardo presented the body-worn camera footage from the initial responding Police Officer, as well as testimony from law enforcement and eyewitnesses. Additionally, the Prosecutor’s Office presented expert testimony from the Medical Examiner’s Office, as well as from a serologist and a DNA analyst at the New Jersey State Police Laboratory.
