to be the case, as Smalls was later found alive. Eight months later, through dental records, the body was identified as that of Cruz, but her killer remained elusive. Some detectives theorized that her death might have been related to a series of rapes that occurred in the Bronx at the time, but no conclusive connection was made to any such case. Five months after the Cruz murder, Martin was arrested for groping a junkie and possession of crack cocaine. He was jailed for a year and then released. Not long after, he lured a 17-year-old male relative on a rooftop in the Bronx, where he attempted to strangle the boy with the laces from his sweatpants. The relative lapsed into unconsciousness, with Martin stabbing him in the neck with a knife, stealing $30 and then fleeing. Miraculously, the boy survived his injuries and managed to reach a hospital. When he was visited by his family, he pleaded with them not to let James in, as he was sure he would "finish [him] off." At that moment, James walked in, and although he was arrested on the spot, he was allowed to plead guilty to attempted robbery and sentenced to five years imprisonment. While in prison, he communicated with 30-year-old Cicela Santiago, who would become his girlfriend and later, his wife. After his release, the couple moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania, where, three months later, he strangled Cicela to death after she threatened to leave him. Martin dumped her body in a parking lot trash bin near the mall, where she was soon found. Arrest, trial and imprisonment Martin was swiftly arrested following the discovery of his wife's body, pleading guilty and receiving a sentence of 22-to-44 years imprisonment, which he would serve at the State Correctional Institution – Somerset prison. While serving his sentence there, his DNA was matched to that of an unidentified male's found underneath the fingernails of Marleny Cruz, and detectives from the Bronx were dispatched to question him. He freely admitted his guilt in the murder, and extradited back to New York City to stand trial on charges of murder, rape and sodomy. On October 28, 2016, James David Martin plead guilty to her murder, and received an additional 20 years imprisonment, to be served on top of his previous sentence. Bibliography References 1971 births 20th-century American criminals 21st-century American criminals American people convicted of murder