An Orange County jury has sentenced Javier Rosado Martinez, 58, to life in prison without parole for the first-degree murder of 93-year-old Dolores Padilla-Marrero. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for the March 2022 slaying, but jurors opted for a life term.
“Ms. Padilla-Marrero was a woman who opened her home to someone she trusted — and he repaid that trust with unspeakable violence,” State Attorney Monique Worrell said. “This sentence ensures Javier Rosado Martinez will never again have the opportunity to harm another person.”
Padilla-Marrero was found deceased in her bed on March 14, 2022, inside her senior living apartment on Alafaya Trail. Her daughter and son-in-law discovered her body after she failed to respond to text messages. An autopsy later revealed the cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma.
“We had processed the scene thinking this might be a homicide just in case,” Orange County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Joe Covelli said. “And thank God we did.”
Investigators discovered a horn-like pendant wrapped in a shirt next to the victim’s body. Martinez’s girlfriend, who is also the victim’s daughter, told police that Martinez “always wears that horn.” The couple had reportedly argued the night before because she suspected Martinez was under the influence of drugs.
Security footage showed Martinez gaining entry to the locked facility after another resident let him inside. Police also recovered the victim’s apartment keys during Martinez’s arrest at his Casselberry home.
When questioned by detectives, Martinez claimed he had “blacked out” on the night of the murder.
“She was brutally murdered by someone she knew, someone she had gone out of her way to help,” Sheriff John Mina said.
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