A man has been sentenced to prison for a fatal stabbing that happened on Fourth of July weekend in 2021.
Francisco Martinez, 33, of Hasbrouck Heights, was sentenced on Wednesday to 15 years in state prison, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement on Thursday. He pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter earlier this year in a plea agreement with prosecutors.
In his plea statement, Martinez admitted that he stabbed one of the victims, Johnny Jiminez, resulting in his death. The stabbing happened during a fight the day after the Fourth of July in 2021, near Martinez’s parents’ home on Totowa Avenue in Paterson.
The fight was between Martinez, his brother Jose Martinez and three other men.
Two other victims, Jamie Hernandez and Jeremiah Rivera, were stabbed by Jose Martinez during the altercation. Hernandez died and Rivera suffered injuries, prosecutors said.
After the stabbing, the brothers were fugitives for several weeks before the U.S. Marshals Service apprehended them in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Jose Martinez was sentenced to 30 years in state prison earlier this month in the stabbing of Hernandez and Rivera. A jury previously convicted him of murder, conspiracy, aggravated assault and weapons offenses.
Both men must serve 85% of their sentences before they are eligible for parole.
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Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at [email protected].
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