An Orange County judge has sentenced a 58-year-old man to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2022 murder and attempted sexual assault of his girlfriend’s 93-year-old mother.
Javier Rosado Martinez received a life sentence on July 14 for the murder of Dolores Padilla Marrero. He was additionally sentenced to five consecutive years in prison for attempted sexual battery. The sentencing comes after prosecutors previously indicated they would seek the death penalty in the case.
The incident occurred on March 13, 2022, at the St. Joseph Garden Senior Living Complex, following a celebration for Padilla Marrero’s 93rd birthday.
According to police records, Rosado Martinez was dating the victim’s daughter at the time of the attack. Investigators noted that Rosado Martinez had previously lived at the apartment with the victim and her daughter but was forced to move out in January 2022 because of ongoing substance abuse issues.
Family members grew concerned the following day when Padilla Marrero failed to answer their calls. Upon arriving at the senior living facility to check on her well-being, relatives discovered her body naked on her bed with a pillow covering her face.
On the same bed, family members identified a distinctive necklace belonging to Rosado Martinez. A subsequent autopsy ruled the death a homicide, citing strangulation and blunt force trauma to the chest as the causes of death.
Law enforcement officers arrested Rosado Martinez on March 16, 2022. The arrest followed a review of the facility’s security footage, which placed him at the senior living complex during the window of the crime.
Following the sentencing, State Attorney Monique Worrell released a statement regarding the case. “Ms. Padilla-Marrero was a woman who opened her home to someone she trusted — and he repaid that trust with unspeakable violence,” Worrell said.
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