Joseph Martinez was found guilty of the 1999 murder of 13-year-old Minerliz “Minnie” Soriano on Friday, Nov. 14
NEED TO KNOW
- Bronx astronomer Joseph Martinez, known by the name “Jupiter Joe,” was found guilty of the 1999 murder of 13-year-old Minerliz “Minnie” Soriano
- Martinez, who lived in the same apartment building as Soriano, offered adults and children free astronomy lessons about the planets and stars
- Soriano “dreamed of one day becoming an astronaut,” her best friend Kimberly Ortiz previously told PEOPLE
A Bronx astronomer, known by the name “Jupiter Joe,” was recently found guilty of the 1999 murder of a 13-year-old girl, who had dreams of becoming an astronaut.
Joseph Martinez, convicted on Friday, Nov. 14, was linked to the killing of Minerliz “Minnie” Soriano through DNA evidence.
According to a Bronx District Attorney’s Office press release, Martinez, who offered adults and children free astronomy lessons about the planets and stars, “sexually abused Minerliz and compressed her neck, causing her death.”…