José Manuel Martínez (born June 13, 1962),[citation needed] dubbed El Mano Negra ("The Black Hand") is a Mexican-American former self-described drug cartel hitman.

[5] In Alabama, Martínez pled guilty to one count of murder for the death of Jose Ruiz in March 2013 and was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

[6] In California, he pleaded guilty to nine counts of murder in October 2015, and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

[8] Over a dozen of Martínez's family members testified on his behalf, sharing stories describing the sacrifices he made to protect his siblings, and trips to Disneyland where he took his children and grandchildren.

[4] His defense lawyer for his Alabama court case, Thomas Turner, described him as "polite and a likeable individual",[3] and another lawyer, John Spivey, said that it came down to two visions of Martínez, the "cold killer" vs the "truly dedicated father, uncle, grandfather,"[4] and that in the end, "the human side outweighed the monster side".