Jose Martinez-Vazquez pleads guilty in stabbing on Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway
A Port Jefferson man pleaded guilty Thursday to the fatal stabbing of a landscaper found on the Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway trail in 2021 while his girlfriend served as the lookout, county prosecutors said.
Jose Martinez-Vazquez, 25, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Benjamin Flores-Mendez, 39, of Port Jefferson Station, authorities said.
Martinez-Vazquez is expected to be sentenced Aug. 28 before acting Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis.
"These defendants conspired to brutally take the life of Benjamin Flores-Mendez, and then did so in a place where Suffolk County residents should feel safe to walk, hike, or bike," said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. "Violence is never the answer, and we will not rest until anyone committing such wanton acts are brought to justice."
John Halverson, Martinez-Vazquez's Patchogue-based defense attorney, said his client is "taking responsibility for his actions and he looks forward to not putting the victim's family through any more difficulties."
Martinez-Vazquez's girlfriend, Tiffany Diaz-Cabrera, 21, also of Port Jefferson Station, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on April 22. She is due back in court for sentencing Aug. 29.
Both defendants are being held without bail. The couple share a home on Crystal Brook Hollow Road.
Luigi Belcastro, Diaz-Cabrera's Central Islip-based defense attorney, did not respond to a request for comment. Belcastro said in 2023, shortly after Diaz-Cabrera's indictment, that "when the facts come out it’s going to show she had no hand in what occurred that day."
Prosecutors said Martinez-Vazquez and Diaz-Cabrera "targeted" Flores-Mendez and followed him into the Port Jefferson Station entrance of the greenway walking trail on June 17, 2021. The pair, according to prosecutors, "allegedly acted in concert" in Flores-Mendez’s stabbing.
Martinez-Vazquez admitted fatally stabbing the victim multiple times while his girlfriend served as his lookout, authorities said.
The victim was later discovered lying in the entrance of the trail by good Samaritans, prosecutors said.
On March 5, 2023, Suffolk County homicide detectives arrested the couple.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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Newsday Live Music Series: Long Island Idols Newsday Live presents a special evening of music and conversation with local singers who grabbed the national spotlight on shows like "The Voice," "America's Got Talent,""The X-Factor" and "American Idol." Newsday Senior Lifestyle Host Elisa DiStefano leads a discussion and audience Q&A as the singers discuss their TV experiences, careers and perform original songs.
