Bronx District Attorney’s office and New York City Police announced that the 22-year-old gruesome murder case of a 13-year-old girl in Bronx in 1999 had finally been cracked. In addition, a Westchester man had been indicted on murder charges after police were led to the alleged killer by the new technology of familial DNADNA, or Deoxyribonucleic Acid, is the genetic material found in cells, composed of a double helix structure. It serves as the genetic blueprint for all living organisms.. This is the first time the technology has been used in New York City to solve a case.
What they are saying: “The defendant allegedly killed 13-year-old Minerliz Soriano and then took her bound body in a garbage bag and left it in a dumpster in Co-op City near where a mall now stands. This beautiful little girl was treated as less than human. It has been 22 years since her life was cruelly taken, but detectives never gave up on finding justice for her and her family, and neither did my ADAs,” said Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark
What happened: Minerliz “Minnie” Soriano was abducted while walking home after leaving her school on Wallace Avenue on February 24. After her disappearance, her family searched the area for days without luck. Four days later, a homeless man discovered the 13-year-old Minerliz Soriano’s body wrapped around plastic inside a dumpster. The investigation later found that Soriano had been sexually abused, and her neck was compressed, causing her death. Before Monday (November 29, 2021), arrests had never been made in the case that eventually went cold.
Who is the suspect: Joseph Martinez, AKA Jupiter Joe, 49, of New Rochelle, N.Y., who teaches astronomy to children, was arraigned Tuesday, a day after his arrest, for two counts of second-degree murder, felony and intentional. He entered his not guilty plea on the court. The defendant was remanded and is due back in court on March 7, 2022.
What led to the suspect: Police say advanced DNA technology helped them make the arrest after a newly available DNA test linked Martinez to the murder.
Martinez was arrested on November 29, 2021, after the NYPD and the Bronx District Attorney’s Office in April 2019 submitted a joint application to get results from the familial DNA system. A DNA sample obtained from a semen stain on the victim’s sweatshirt was submitted to the New York State convicted offender DNA database for male relatives that matched the specimen, which led to Martinez’s deceased father. Investigators then obtained a DNA sample from the defendant, which matched the DNA found on the victim’s sweatshirt.
Detectives said that the DNA evidence was previously searched through a database in 2000, but the results came back negative.
“The DNA science and technology advanced over the years, and familial DNA was instrumental in linking the defendant…to the murder,” said Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark. “But while the technology was vital, it really was the humanity, dedication, and compassion of the investigators and their relentless drive tog et justice in this case. That is why we do this work. I hope today’s indictment brings some consolation to the victim’s family.”
