In nine days’ time, on 30 August 2019, Marlin Martinez will have completed two years in jail for the death of the teenager Emely Peguero, which happened in August 2017.
Martínez was originally sentenced to five years in jail but the sentence was reduced to two years as the court determined that her involvement in the death of the teenager could not be proven, only that she was involved in hiding the body.
Martínez has been in prison since 30 August 2017, the day she handed herself over to the authorities. The Public Prosecution has appealed to the Supreme Court against the reduction in her sentence, this will not affect her leaving jail at the end of this month.
According to her lawyer, Carlos Balcácer, if she stays in jail a minute longer than she should, her detention is illegal according to the new Penal Process Code, as appeal processes cannot obstruct her liberty.
Should the appeal be granted, Martínez will have to appear at a new trial, still while being free, unless the judge considers she should be sent back to prison for coercive measures, says her defense counsel.
For the same case, her son, Marlon Martínez, is serving a 30-year jail sentence, having been found guilty of the murder of 16-year old Emely, who was pregnant with his son.
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Listin Diario
21 August 2019