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Jose Martinez-Vazquez, age 25, of Port Jefferson Station, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, July 25, in the death of Benjamin Flores-Mendez.
It came months after his girlfriend, Tiffany Diaz-Cabrera, age 21, of Port Jefferson Station, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the same case.
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 2024 and is awaiting sentencing.
Martinez-Vazquez is scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday, Aug. 28.
“These defendants conspired to brutally take the life of Benjamin Flores-Mendez, and then did so in a place where Suffolk County residents should feel safe to walk, hike, or bike,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
“Violence is never the answer, and we will not rest until anyone committing such wanton acts are brought to justice.”
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