Prison terms ordered for two Fort Pierce brothers charged as teenagers in 2019 murder
FORT PIERCE – One of two brothers charged as teenagers in connection with the 2019 shooting death of an 18-year-old Fort Pierce man will serve life in prison while his younger sibling remains on probation for 15 years, court records show.
On Wednesday, prosecutors dropped a first-degree murder charge against Joel Martinez, who was 15 when he was arrested, after he entered no contest pleas to one count of robbery with a firearm and attempted robbery with a firearm.
He and his brother, Daniel Martinez, then 17, were arrested Feb. 22, 2019 shortly after St. Lucie County Sheriff’s deputies found Erik Jimenez-Munoz laying in the road on East Joy Lane with a gunshot wound in his upper back. Emergency responders worked to save him, but he later died at a hospital.
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After the murder, St. Lucie Sheriff Ken Mascara said the brothers had been sitting in Jimenez-Munoz's Nissan Altima when Daniel Martinez, armed with a shotgun, shot Jimenez-Munoz in the back.
Deputies later found the boys in the area where the incident occurred and arrested them after questioning. Both live on the street where the shooting occurred, Mascara said.
Both Martinez brothers were prosecuted as adults, records show.
Florida law gives prosecutors broad discretion to charge minors between 16 and 17 years old in juvenile or adult court if they deem it in the public interest. For those 14 or 15, the option is limited to forcible felonies.
During a hearing Wednesday before St. Lucie County Circuit Judge Steven Levin, Joel Martinez, now 18, also was sentenced to about 3 ½ years in prison, which he had already served awaiting trial at the St. Lucie County Jail.
Levin ordered Daniel Martinez, 20, to serve a life prison term during a Sept. 27 hearing after he entered no contest pleas in 2021 to first-degree murder with a firearm, robbery with a firearm and attempted robbery with a firearm and aggravated assault with a firearm.
Minors may be given a life prison term, but state law requires the sentence be automatically reviewed after 25 years.
Older Martinez brother admits murder
Assistant State Attorney Jonathan Libby said early on Daniel Martinez took responsibility for the shooting and tried to convince investigators to free Joel Martinez.
“From the get go, Daniel had always claimed that his younger brother had no knowledge of what was occurring, that he had no involvement,” Libby said. “We initially had evidence to support that, however, that kind of changed as the case progressed.”
Arrest records show after deputies spoke to witnesses at the murder scene, the two brothers were located inside a house they shared with their mother near where the shooting happened.
“Both Daniel and Joel had blood on them, but did not appear to be injured,” arrest reports stated.
Once in custody, Daniel Martinez claimed the murder was “all on me.”
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He told investigators before the shooting, he’d texted Jimenez-Munoz to “order up some marijuana” and planned to rob him when he arrived.
“He said he had seen the victim on social media with a handgun, so he was going to bring his and rip him off before he could shoot him,” investigators reported.
When Jimenez-Munzo arrived, the Martinez brothers approached his car. Daniel Martinez said he had a shotgun behind his leg when he got into the rear passenger seat; Joel Martinez sat in the front passenger seat.
Daniel Martinez raised the gun and said, “Give me the bag,” but Jimenez-Munoz refused.
“Daniel said he put his finger on the trigger and the gun went off hitting the driver in the back,” arrest records stated.
He said he believed the gun’s safety was on and then claimed, “I was only going to shoot the windshield.”
Daniel Martinez then grabbed the marijuana and he and his brother ran off. He said he threw the shotgun into a nearby canal then ran home.
Daniel Martinez told investigators “he has seen robberies on TV and the victim always gave up what they were told to.”
Prosecutors later charged a third Fort Pierce man, Cristian Puzos, 21, after an investigation revealed he had sold Daniel Martinez a short double-barreled shotgun for $100 which was used three days later to kill Jimenez-Munoz.
Homicide database: Treasure Coast
The two knew each other from attending Fort Pierce Central High School and records show they used their Instagram accounts to arrange the gun purchase.
In December 2019, Puzos pleaded no contest to one count of furnishing a firearm to a minor. His sentencing is pending.
Melissa E. Holsman is the legal affairs reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers, and is writer and co-host of Uncertain Terms, a true crime podcast. Reach her at melissa.holsman@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Two brothers charged as teenagers in 2019 Fort Pierce murder convicted
