FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ohio — A man convicted of murdering his wife at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park in 2021 was sentenced to life in prison.
Santiago Martinez, 44, was found guilty earlier this month of murder in connection to the 2021 death of Alexandra Berrios. In addition to the prison sentence, Martinez will have eligibility for parole in 15 years.
According to the Franklin County Prosecution Attorney’s Office, Martinez testified that he and his wife were taking a walk at Darby Creek Metro on March 22, 2021 when she told him that she had been unfaithful years earlier while they were living in separate countries.
Martinez said that he was in the middle of getting a divorce from his wife at the time of the incident.
The prosecutor’s office says Martinez beat his wife with a log and she remained in a vegetative state over a month after the incident until her death. Court records say the attack left Berrios with multiple contusions, lacerations and a broken skull.
Martinez was arrested on the day of the attack during a traffic stop. He was originally indicted in April 2021 on charges of attempted murder and felonious assault. After Berrios died, Martinez was later indicted for murder.
Martinez’s and Berrios’ three children, who spoke at the sentencing, described their mother as wonder and their father as abusive and unfaithful.
