Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark and New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea announced that a Westchester man has been indicted on murder charges in the 1999 killing of a Bronx teen after investigators used familial DNA, the first time the technology is used in New York City to solve a case.
“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 Clark.
The defendant, Joseph Martinez, AKA Jupiter Joe, 49, of New Rochelle, N.Y., was arraigned yesterday on two counts of second-degree murder, felony and intentional. The defendant was remanded and is due back in court on March 7, 2022.
According to the investigation, on Feb. 24, 1999, Soriano walked home from school. Her body was found wrapped in a trash bag in a dumpster behind a video store in Co-op City four days later. Soriano had been sexually abused, and her neck was compressed, causing her death.
Martinez was arrested on Nov. 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, which was 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 father, who is deceased. Investigators then obtained a DNA sample from the defendant, which matched the DNA found on the victim’s sweatshirt.
This is the first case in New York City that has been solved using familial DNA.
“The DNA science and technology advanced over the years, and familial DNA was instrumental in linking the defendant, Joseph Martinez, AKA Jupiter Joe, to the murder. But while the technology was vital, it really was the humanity, dedication and compassion of the investigators and their relentless drive to get justice in this case. That is why we do this work. I hope today’s indictment brings some consolation to the victim’s family,” said Clark.
“Today’s indictment reflects the commitment of NYPD detectives to be the voice of victims who can no longer speak for themselves. In this case they used the science of familial DNA searching, combined with dogged investigative work, to achieve a measure of closure for all who knew and loved 13-year-old Minerliz Soriano. Detectives, both active and retired, along with our forensic experts and partners in the Bronx District Attorney’s office never gave up in their work to ensure justice for this innocent child,” said NYPD Commissioner Shea.
*An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.