An El Paso man was sentenced to 70 years in prison after he was convicted of fatally hitting another man with his car during a fight outside an East Side bar.
An El Paso jury found Rene Martinez, 34, guilty of murder in connection with the death of 23-year-old Juan Flores Jr. during a fight outside an East El Paso bar in 2024.
Rene Martinez
The jury convicted Martinez on the murder charge on Friday, Feb. 20, after hearing testimony during a five-day trial, El Paso County District Attorney James Montoya announced in a news release.
The same jury sentenced Martinez to 70 years in prison on the murder charge on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
Martinez was also found guilty on a charge of collision involving death and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The sentences will be served concurrently.
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“I want to thank the jury for their service during this trial. They were presented with difficult evidence and took their responsibility seriously,” El Paso District Attorney James Montoya said in a statement. “The sentence reflects the gravity of the defendant’s actions and the profound loss suffered by Juan Flores’s family. This was a severe punishment, and it underscores that violent conduct will carry serious consequences in our community.”
Judge Patricia Baca of the 346th District Court presided over the trial at the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse in Downtown El Paso. Assistant District Attorneys Talisa Gutierrez and Joshua Avila tried the case for the district attorney’s office.
Martinez fatally hits victim with his car
Martinez was outside a bar located in the 1400 block of North Zaragoza Road on Sept. 30, 2024, with two other men when a “dispute broke out” between Martinez’s group and a group of five other people, the news release states. The other group included Flores.
Someone in Flores’ group threw a rock toward Martinez’s Ford Fusion. Martinez left the parking lot, but immediately returned. Martinez “accelerated his vehicle toward the group, striking Flores,” witnesses testified during Martinez’s trial, the news release states.
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Flores was thrown onto the hood of the car. He held on to the car as Martinez swerved through the parking lot, the news release states. Flores lost his grip and fell off the car. He struck his head on the pavement.
Martinez fled the scene. Flores was taken to Del Sol Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries.
El Paso Police Department officers arrested Martinez on Oct. 1, 2024. He has remained in jail since his arrest, according to jail records.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso man found guilty of murder in bar fight, hit victim with car