A Garnerville man has admitted fatally shooting a 29-year-old as the victim tried to drive away following an argument two years ago on West Avenue in Haverstraw, the Rockland District Attorney's Office said.
Yandie Martinez, 20, pleaded guilty Wednesday, Sept. 23, to first-degree manslaughter in the death of Christian Alvarado. Martinez was promised a prison term of 20 years and Rockland Judge Kevin Russo scheduled sentencing for Dec. 4.
On the afternoon of July 1, 2024, Martinez and Alvarado had an argument on Main Street. According to a news release from the the DA's Office, Alvarado initiated a physical altercation and then ran away on foot down West
Street, followed by Martinez.
Alvarado got into his car and started to drive towards Fairmont Avenue when Martinez pulled out a 9mm pistol and fired multiple shots. Alvarado was hit in the left side and a bullet punctured his lung and heart. He was taken to Nyack Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Surveillance video showed Martinez entering an apartment on Main Street and emerging later in different clothes. He and two others then got in a car and drove away.
Martinez fled the area and changed his phone and social media accounts. Haverstraw police worked with the Rockland County Sheriff's Office, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and other agencies to track Martinez down to an Airbnb in Piedmont, South Carolina, where he was taken into custody three and a half weeks after the shooting.
District Attorney Thomas Walsh II commended the collaborative efforts of the agencies involved in solving Alvarado's "senseless, brazen" killing.
Martinez was originally charged with second-degree murder but was spared a life sentence when allowed to plead to the lesser manslaughter charge.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Garnerville man pleads guilty in fatal 2024 Haverstraw shooting
