Following a month-long trial, a Union County jury has delivered a guilty verdict against Bryan Gonzalez Martines, aged 23, from Plainfield, for the strangulation death of his girlfriend in 2020. Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel made the announcement today, stating that Martines was found guilty on Tuesday of one count of first-degree murder. The verdict was reached after less than a day of deliberation by the jury.
The incident unfolded on the morning of Monday, July 6, 2020, when Plainfield Police responded to a welfare check at a residence on the 700 block of Kensington Avenue. Upon arrival, they discovered the lifeless body of 19-year-old Brenda Montoya-Cruz. Assistant Prosecutors Alaina Caliendo and Shivani Trivedi presented the case during the trial.
Sentencing for Bryan Gonzalez Martines is set for September 29, 2023, before Union County Superior Court Judge Thomas Isenhour. Martines faces a potential sentence of up to life in state prison for the first-degree murder conviction.