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Jose Franco-Martinez, age 58, of Elmont, was found guilty of second-degree murder nearly five years after stabbing Maria Larin, the Nassau County DA announced Wednesday, April 5.
Larin worked as a hot walker at the Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, where she would walk horses after their races to help them cool down.
She was working when, on June 17, 2018, Franco-Martinez showed up and attacked her, stabbing and cutting her 23 times with a kitchen knife.
Larin’s co-worker, who witnessed the incident, hit the killer in the head with a shovel, but it did not stop him from running away.
Franco-Martinez was eventually caught by New York Racing Association staff following a brief chase. He threw the murder weapon into nearby bushes.
According to the DA, Franco-Martinez had moved out of the state and was working in Kansas at the time of the crime. He became angry with Larin after she ended their relationship, and suspected she may be seeing another man.
Franco-Martinez paid an acquaintance to drive him from Kansas to New York, nearly 1,000 miles, so that he could murder Larin the next day.
“Our prayers are with the Larin family as they mourn this completely senseless loss,” District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said.
Franco-Martinez is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday, May 19. He faces a potential maximum of 25 years to life.
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