Tuesday, August 10, 2010
BY JOHN PETRICK
THE RECORD
STAFF WRITER
A Paterson man pleaded guilty in state court Monday to killing the mother of his two children, a Randolph woman whose body authorities found weeks after her death stuffed in a garbage bag in the defendant's apartment.
Randy Martin, 39, with his attorney Jon Iannaccone in Superior Court, pleaded guilty to strangling the mother of his two children during an argument. He faces 25 years in prison.
Randy Martin, 39, pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated manslaughter and faces 25 years in state prison when sentenced on Sept. 10 before Superior Court Judge Marilyn C. Clark in Paterson. Prior to the plea agreement, Martin was charged with murder and faced 30 years to life in prison.
Under the plea deal, Martin will have to serve 85 percent of his term before becoming eligible for parole. He must then serve five years of parole after his release.
He admitted that on May 27, 2008, in his 12th Avenue apartment, he and 26-year-old girlfriend Marie Hoppe had an argument that led to his striking her repeatedly with an extension cord and then strangling her. Under further questioning by Assistant Deputy Public Defender Jon Iannaccone of Paterson, Martin admitted he then put her body in a plastic garbage bag which he attached to an air conditioner. That, and the use of some bleach, helped conceal the smell of the body until about three weeks later.
On June 12, 2008, police went to Martin's apartment and found the body. Hoppe's parents had filed a missing persons report days earlier. Martin was subsequently arrested for the killing.
A doctor for the defense found Martin to be legally insane, and Iannaccone had notified the court of the defense's intent to present a defense of not guilty by reason of insanity, according to attorneys in court Monday. A doctor hired by the prosecution found that the defendant was merely faking insanity, attorneys said.
The couple had a history of domestic violence problems. The Randolph Police Department on July 29, 2005, arrested and charged Martin with aggravated assault for allegedly choking Hoppe and smashing her head through a window. But the charges were dropped on Sept. 2, 2005, authorities said.
Domestic violence charges were filed against Martin again on May 9, 2008. A Paterson police officer, acting on behalf of Hoppe, charged Martin with aggravated assault, alleging that he punched her in the throat and choked her. A May 13, 2008, court hearing found probable cause to charge Martin, at which point a warrant was issued for his arrest. The police attempted three times to serve Martin with a temporary restraining order as a result of the charge, but never located him, said detectives involved in the homicide case.
Hoppe initially rescheduled a May 15, 2008, interview with a police detective about the alleged assault, and then failed to appear at a May 19 court appearance. As a result, the judge tossed out the restraining order. Later that afternoon, Hoppe called the police department and asked to drop the charges. Hoppe told police that Martin never laid a finger on her.
E-mail: petrick@northjersey.com
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