Jose Martinez, convicted felon, indicted in 2009 murder of Carmen Saldana, NYC woman
(CBS/AP) NEW YORK - A convicted felon has been indicted in the rape and strangulation death of a 23-year-old fashion student in her Queens, N.Y. apartment in 2009.
According to CBS New York, 30-year-old Jose Martinez was arrested on charges of kidnapping, murder, predatory sexual assault, criminal sex act, burglary and other crimes. Prosecutors said Thursday Martinez was linked to the death of Carmen Saldana after his DNA was run through a database.
They say Martinez offered to walk Saldana home after he noticed her on the street leaving a party. They say he then forced his way into her apartment and attacked her.
The paper reports Saldana was found dead by her mother at the family's home in Astoria, N.Y.
The medical examiner ruled Saldana's death a homicide due to asphyxiation, according to the station.
Authorities say Martinez initially told police he was 20, hoping to be tried as a juvenile. But he is 30 years old.
He pleaded not guilty.
The New York Daily News reports Martinez is already serving time for a conviction on reckless endangerment charges for carjacking a cab in 2011. He was sentenced to one to three years in prison.