PROVIDENCE – The murder of Eudora Gustafson was shocking in its depravity.
The 66-year-old former Bristol EMT died at the hands of the grandson she took in, after others turned him away.
And on Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Stephen P. Nugent sentenced to 60 years in prison the girlfriend who helped Raymond Paiva IV asphyxiate Gustafson in 2017. She will serve 35 years for her role in the crime.
“The murder of Ms. Gustafson itself is really one of unspeakable cruelty,” Nugent said in sentencing Selena Martinez, 28, of Exeter.
On Jan. 19, Martinez admitted to second-degree murder, conspiracy, and a raft of theft and forgery charges for her part in killing Gustafson at her Sowams Drive home Feb. 10, 2017. The couple then fled with Gustafson’s car, stolen jewelry and trinkets the couple later pawned to buy heroin.
Paiva, of Warren, pleaded guilty in September to conspiring with Martinez to murder Gustafson and steal her belongings, including jewelry, half-dollar coins and a checkbook. He agreed to testify against Martinez at trial.