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Jose Martinez-Vazquez, age 25, of Port Jefferson Station, was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison in Suffolk County Court on Monday, Oct. 7, in the death of Benjamin Flores-Mendez.
His girlfriend, Tiffany Diaz-Cabrera, age 21, of Port Jefferson Station, was given 15 years to life.
According to prosecutors, Martinez-Vazquez followed the 39-year-old Flores-Mendez into the Port Jefferson entrance of the Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway Trail in the early hours of June 17, 2021.
He admitted that he stabbed the man while Diaz-Cabrera served as a lookout.
Flores-Mendez, of Port Jefferson Station, was found dead near the trail’s entrance by a passerby at around 1 a.m.
Suffolk County Police homicide detectives arrested both defendants in March 2023.
Diaz-Cabrera pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in April. Martinez-Vazquez pleaded guilty to second-degree murder three months later.
“The lengthy prison terms handed down to both defendants reflect the severity of their actions and our commitment to public safety,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
“This brutal attack on our greenway trail – a place meant for recreation and community gathering – shook our citizens to the core. With these sentences, we hope to restore a sense of security to our public spaces and deter future acts of violence.”
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