Jose Martinez-Vazquez, girlfriend Tiffany Diaz-Cabrera sentenced in the killing of Benjamin Flores-Mendez, prosecutors say

A girlfriend-boyfriend team who in 2021 followed a man into the Setauket-Port Jefferson Greenway Trail where the boyfriend fatally stabbed him while the girlfriend acted as a lookout have been sentenced to up to life in prison for their roles in the killing, prosecutors said Monday.

Jose Martinez-Vazquez, 25, was sentenced to 20 years to life and his girlfriend Tiffany Diaz-Cabrera, 21, was sentenced to 15 years to life in the killing of victim Benjamin Flores-Mendez, prosecutors said.

Martinez-Vazquez pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for fatally stabbing Flores-Mendez, 39, of Port Jefferson Station.

Diaz-Cabrera pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter for acting as a look out during the stabbing.

"The lengthy prison terms handed down to both defendants reflect the severity of their actions and our commitment to public safety," said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. "This brutal attack on our greenway trail — a place meant for recreation and community gathering — shook our citizens to the core. With these sentences, we hope to restore a sense of security to our public spaces and deter future acts of violence."

On June 17, 2021, both defendants, who lived in Port Jefferson Station, followed the victim into the Port Jefferson Station entrance of the Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway Trail, prosecutors said.

Martinez-Vazquez admitted fatally stabbing the victim multiple times while Diaz-Cabrera, Martinez-Vazquez’s girlfriend, served as his lookout, prosecutors said.

Good Samaritans later discovered the victim lying at the entrance of the trail.

Suffolk County homicide detectives arrested both defendants on March 5, 2023.

Defense attorneys for the defendants did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.