At age 17, Martin was envious that his fellow basketball buddy Thomas had recently bought himself an expensive pair of Air Jordans worth $115.50.
At some point, however, the pair began arguing, with Martin proceeding to grab her by the throat, beating, sexually abusing and finally, strangling Cruz to death.
Some detectives theorized that her death might have been related to a series of rapes that occurred in the Bronx at the time, but no conclusive connection was made to any such case.
[2] Martin was swiftly arrested following the discovery of his wife's body, pleading guilty and receiving a sentence of 22-to-44 years imprisonment, which he would serve at the State Correctional Institution – Somerset prison.
While serving his sentence there, his DNA was matched to that of an unidentified male's found underneath the fingernails of Marleny Cruz, and detectives from the Bronx were dispatched to question him.
[2] On October 28, 2016, James David Martin pleaded guilty to her murder, and received an additional 20 years imprisonment, to be served on top of his previous sentence.