Guilty plea in murder of boy, 4, thrown from bridge

OMAHA, Neb. -- An Omaha man pleaded guilty Wednesday to killing his mother and his 4-year-old half brother, avoiding the death penalty.

Roberto Martinez-Marinero, 25, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in the May deaths of 45-year-old Jesus Ismenia Marinero and 4-year-old Josue Ramirez-Marinero. After entering the plea in Douglas County District Court, he was sentenced to a mandatory term of life in prison.

Prosecutors say Martinez-Marinero stabbed and beat his mother with a baseball bat on May 5 at his home in a fit of rage over an ongoing dispute over money. Her body was found the next day in a southeast Omaha ditch.

Police say that after fatally attacking his mother, Martinez-Marinero took his mother's two youngest children - his half brothers - in an attempt to eliminate witnesses to his mother's attack. Police say he dumped his then-11-month-old half brother in a La Vista dumpster. The child was found hours later by a passer-by, bruised and wearing only a diaper, but otherwise uninjured.

Officials say Martinez-Marinero also threw 4-year-old Josue from an Elkhorn River bridge to his death. The boy's body was found in the river days later.

Martinez-Marinero's live-in girlfriend at the time also is charged. Police believe Gabriela Guevara, 25, helped Martinez-Marinero load his mother in a car and dump her. Guevara also was with Martinez-Marinero when he disposed of his half brothers, investigators have said.

Guevara has pleaded not guilty to five counts of being an accessory and has asked a judge to throw out her statements to police.

f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.