ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A murder trial is beginning for a man accused of killing his girlfriend’s 93-year-old mother at an Orange County senior living facility hours after an argument with the victim’s daughter.
On Monday, prosecutors and defense attorneys will go through the process of jury selection in the trial against Javier Rosado Martinez.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Dolores Padilla Marrero was dropped off at her facility in 2022 after celebrating her 93rd birthday with family members and received a phone call from then 54-year-old Rosado Martinez, who is not believed to have attended the party.
The victim’s other daughter and son-in-law visited the facility the next evening after attempting to reach Padilla Marrero on the phone but were unable to get in contact with her, according to deputies. The daughter used spare keys to unlock the apartment door and found the bedroom door inside was also locked, which was common for Padilla Marrero to do when she went to bed, according to a report.
When the daughter entered the room, deputies said she found Padilla Marrero dead. The 93-year-old was naked, which was uncommon for her when she went to bed, with a blanket covering her torso and a pillow pressed against her face, officials said.
“The medical examiner said the cause of death was strangulation, blunt force trauma to her torso and her manner of death is homicide,” Sgt. Joe Covelli said.
Deputies said a resident at the assisted living facility reported that a man — later identified as Martinez — was trying to enter the facility, but the keypad was not working. The resident let him in, and a neighbor of Padilla Marrero said they heard knocking on her door around 10:30 p.m. followed by a man’s voice asking to come inside, a report said.
The two residents spoke with the victim’s daughter and son-in-law, prompting the two to suspect it was Martinez, the boyfriend in an on-again, off-again relationship with Padilla Marrero’s other daughter.
Deputies said Martinez was described as “a manipulative, violent, abusive narcissist” who took advantage of his girlfriend due to a suspected drug and alcohol addiction. The victim’s daughter and son-in-law told deputies that the other daughter and Martinez lived with Padilla Marrero up until January, after the suspect got into an argument with one of the residents.
The sheriff’s office said the other daughter spoke with a detective and said she last saw Martinez the night of the birthday party around 10 p.m. following an argument over his behavior because he was “acting as if he was under the influence of narcotics.” She said she received a text from him after 1 a.m. that he was done with the relationship and would pick up his things, but never showed up, a report said. The daughter also said because she and Martinez lived with the victim, he would have known Padilla Marrero slept with the bedroom door locked.
According to a report, a piece of jewelry—a horn necklace—was found during the victim’s autopsy that the daughter confirmed belonged to Martinez.
While Covelli said Martinez did not confess to the crime, he said the suspect did make some admissions when interviewed.
“But he basically said he blacked out during that event, so he didn’t say he didn’t do it, he didn’t say he did do it. With that though, we have uncovered a lot more evidence, which I can’t really go into, that has really solidified this case,” Covelli said. “We’re very happy that we’re able to bring this case to a closure quickly… for the family because this is a horrific crime, to be 93 years old, to go your whole life, and then this is how it ends."
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Rosado Martinez, who faces charges of first-degree murder and sexual battery.