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Francisco Martinez, 53, pleaded guilty on Thursday, March 30, in the domestic stabbing of Patricia Boney, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.
His plea to aggravated manslaughter calls for him to serve a 20-year sentence, the prosecutor said.
After slaying Boney, Martinez fled in her 1982 Camaro which was discovered in Houston, Texas on March 8, 1994. It is believed that he crossed the border into Mexico where he successfully hid under an assumed identity for over twenty-five years, the prosecutor said.
On February 25, 1994, Martinez went to 111 N. Harding Highway in Buena Borough to confront Boney, who had moved on from him and had no desire to reunite, the prosecutor said.
Martinez stabbed her at least 17 times in front of their 18-month-old child while Boney lay in her bed, the prosecutor said. He quickly fled the scene using Boney’s vehicle.
Boney’s 9- and 11-year-old children found her lying in bed with their baby brother covered in blood and called 911, the prosecutor said. Police were able to speak to Boney who identified Martinez as her killer before she died, the prosecutor said.
An autopsy that was performed later that day noted multiple defensive wounds on her arms and hands as well as a four-and-a-half-inch wound that penetrated her heart.
Martinez remained one of New Jersey’s most wanted fugitives for years and was once featured.on “America’s Most Wanted”.
Detectives from the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office and Atlantic County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the authorities in Mexico, located Martinez living and working in the Sinaloa region.
Utilizing all diplomatic channels available, the United States Marshal’s Office, Interpol, and the U.S. Department of State located and extradited Martinez back from Mexico to New Jersey last year to answer for the charges.
Martinez remains in jail and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 8.
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