Victim Killed While Sewing at Home
A Connecticut man has pleaded guilty to murder in connection with the tragic 2022 stray-bullet killing of Mabel Martinez Antongiorgi, the mother of Puerto Rican Olympic shooter Yarimar Mercado Martinez.
Martinez Antongiorgi, 56, was at home in Waterbury, about 30 miles southwest of Hartford, when a bullet fired from outside pierced her wall and struck her in the head. She was sewing at the time of the shooting.
Her daughter, Mercado Martinez, had represented Puerto Rico in the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games and was in Brazil for another competition when her mother was killed.
Shooter Faces Up to 35 Years in Prison
Jasper Greene, of New Haven, was one of three men charged in the case. He pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal and now faces a 35-year prison sentence for murder, though he will have the opportunity to argue for a reduced sentence of 30 years at his sentencing on June 3. Under Connecticut law, the charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years.
As part of the plea agreement, additional charges against Greene were dropped.
Shooting Stems from Personal Dispute
According to court testimony, the fatal shooting resulted from a dispute between one of the suspects, Franklin Robinson, 41, and a man who had greeted his girlfriend. Robinson, Greene, and another suspect, Levi Brock, allegedly fired at a parked car on Martinez Antongiorgi’s street, mistakenly believing the man they were targeting was inside.
The gunfire struck Martinez Antongiorgi inside her home. Another bystander was also wounded but survived.
Robinson has not yet entered a plea, while Brock has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including murder, and is awaiting trial.
Justice for the Victim’s Family
The shooting shocked the Waterbury community and devastated Martinez Antongiorgi’s family. Her daughter, Mercado Martinez, has publicly mourned the loss, calling her mother her biggest supporter.
With Greene’s guilty plea, the family moves one step closer to justice, but the case continues as the remaining suspects await their day in court.
