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Rockland County resident Yandie Martinez of Haverstraw was nabbed around 1:20 p.m. Saturday, July 27, in Piedmont, South Carolina, for the Monday, July 1, murder of Christian Alvarado in Haverstraw.
According to Haverstraw Police Chief John Gould, Martinez allegedly shot and killed Alvardo inside a vehicle in the area of West Street and Fairmount Avenue.
Alvardo sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the abdomen and torso area and was in critical condition, Gould said. He was transported to Nyack Hospital by Haverstraw Ambulance and Rockland Paramedics but ultimately was pronounced dead by hospital staff.
Martinez quickly became the suspect during an investigation by Haverstraw detectives, Gould said.
Family and friends attempted to have Martinez turn himself in, but the chief said those attempts were unsuccessful.
"It was clear to us that Martinez was on the run and had no intention of surrendering," Gould said in a news briefing on Monday, July 29. "We were able to track Martinez through a social media account he was using, which ultimately led us to an Airbnb he was hiding out in in Piedmont, South Carolina."
Gould said Martinez was taken into custody without incident by the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Special Investigations Tea and assisted by the FBI-Westchester Safe Streets Task Force and FBI-Columbia, South Carolina Division.
"As the case plays itself out through the courts, it will show that the investigation and the amount of evidence collected by these detectives prove that Yandie Martinez is guilty of this crime without a shadow of a doubt," Gould said.
The chief also thanked community members who offered their support and provided information throughout the investigation.
"Our leads took us to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and the Dominican Republic," he said.
Martinez is currently being held in the Greenville County Correctional Facility in South Carolina.
Gould said arrangments are being made to transport Martinez back to New York, where he will be charged with murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
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