A 27-YEAR-OLD COLD CASE HEATS UP

Yesterday, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., announced the indictment of JUSTO SANTOS, 43, for fatally shooting Jose Martinez in front of the victim’s restaurant in Inwood in 1986. SANTOS fled to the Dominican Republic after the murder, but was recently found to be living in Miami, Florida. The defendant is charged in New York State Supreme Court with Murder in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree.[1]

“The victim’s daughter was just nine years old when her father was fatally shot,” said District Attorney Vance. “Thanks to her unfailing commitment to finding her father’s killer, the defendant will finally face justice in New York.”

According to documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court, on the evening of November 22, 1986, Jose Martinez was working at his restaurant, Rincon Dominican Restaurant, in Inwood. SANTOS and two other young men entered the restaurant at approximately 9 p.m., made disrespectful comments to the waitress, and harassed customers. Martinez and several members of his kitchen staff forced the men outside of the restaurant, where the disagreement became physical. SANTOS is accused of pulling out a revolver and firing two or three times at Martinez and the restaurant’s cook. Martinez was shot in the chest, and the bullet pierced his heart and lung. He was pronounced dead at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. The cook was not hit.

Several weeks after the shooting, NYPD investigators identified SANTOS as a suspect, but learned that he had fled to the Dominican Republic. The defendant was recently found to be living in Miami, Florida. NYPD detectives transported SANTOS to New York last Friday, ahead of today’s arraignment.

Assistant District Attorneys Elizabeth Lederer and Julie Nobel are handling the prosecution of this case, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Melissa Mourges, Chief of the Forensic Sciences/Cold Case Unit, and Executive Assistant District Attorney Karen Friedman-Agnifilo, Chief of the Trial Division.

District Attorney Vance thanked New York City Police Department Detectives Robert Dewhurst and Wendell Stratford of the Cold Case Squad and retired Detective Joseph Rivera for their assistance in the investigation.

^[1]The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Defendant Information:

JUSTO SANTOS, D.O.B. 3/4/1970
Miami, FL

Charges:
• Murder in the Second Degree, a class A-1 felony, 1 count
• Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 1 count