A jury found two men guilty on murder charges Monday in the killing of Philadelphia Sgt. Richard Mendez inside a parking garage at the Philadelphia International Airport in 2023.
Defendant Yobranny Martinez-Fernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder, murder of a law enforcement officer and related offenses. Martinez-Fernandez was also found guilty of assault for injuring Mendez’s partner, Officer Raul Ortiz.
Defendant Hendrick Pena-Fernandez was found guilty of second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery. Pena-Fernandez was found not guilty of third-degree murder, assaulting Ortiz and theft.
Martinez-Fernandez and Pena-Fernandez were immediately sentenced to life without parole.
A third defendant, Alexander Batista-Polanco, previously pleaded guilty to murder.
Mia Carrera, Mendez’s daughter, embraced Assistant District Attorney Cydney Pope moments after a jury found the pair guilty of murdering her father in October 2023.
After addressing the court, Alex Carrera and her daughter Mia spoke with CBS News Philadelphia.
“My husband was an amazing human being,” Alex Carrera said. “And he did not deserve to be shot in the back three times. Nobody deserves that, especially not my husband.”
Prosecutors said Mendez and Ortiz were heading to work at the airport when they interrupted an attempted car theft in a parking garage. Martinez-Fernandez, Pena-Fernandez and two others were allegedly in the process of stealing a car in the garage.
Mendez and Ortiz scuffled with one of the suspects before the shooting, prosecutors said. Mendez died in the airport garage from at least three gunshot wounds. Ortiz was struck in the arm.
Pope told the court before sentencing that the defendants themselves were kids and instead of surrendering, they chose to open fire.
“Absolutely every single person is going to be held accountable under the law,” Pope said. “We will hold you accountable for your actions and what you did.”
Mendez’s family wants people to know that Mendez, the youngest of four children, originally from Puerto Rico, was simply a hard worker.
“They stole from all of us the inspiration he brought from his hard work and dedication,” Alex Carrera said, facing the men convicted in her husband’s death.
In the end, she says she felt his presence.
“I kept hearing my husband saying, ‘We got this, we got this.’ There’s no way that justice wasn’t going to be served,” Alex Carrera said. “They were held accountable.”
“We’re thankful that this Philadelphia jury followed the evidence and rendered an appropriate verdict for these defendants. Their despicable actions leave us grieving our colleague, friend and beloved family man,” FOP Lodge 5 President Roosevelt Poplar said in a statement. “Sgt. Richard Mendez served our city for 22 years with great distinction, integrity and professionalism. We will never forget Sgt. Mendez and his immeasurable contributions to our Philadelphia police department and family.”
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