Street astronomer 'Jupiter Joe' faces murder trial 26 years after Bronx girl's body found
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Street astronomer 'Jupiter Joe' faces murder trial 26 years after Bronx girl's body found
""She wanted him to show her the stars. Instead, he threw her into the dumpster," Miras said in his opening statement at Martinez's trial."
""I taught myself how to use a telescope. Now, I do it anywhere I can in the city. Sometimes, I even teach lessons along the way," he says in one video."
""Anyone who's passing by, coming home from work, heading out for a drink, whatever it is, they can stop by and take a look.""
Thirteen-year-old Minerliz Soriano disappeared from her Pelham Parkway South apartment building on February 24, 1999 and was found four days later strangled and stuffed in garbage bags in a dumpster behind a video store in Co-Op City. Joseph "Jupiter Joe" Martinez lived a few floors below and cultivated a friendly street-astronomer persona, teaching passersby and posting stargazing videos. Authorities allege Martinez killed Minerliz and concealed the crime for more than two decades. A modern DNA technique combined with a detective's ruse in a diner ultimately linked Martinez to the cold-case killing and led to his arrest and trial.
Read at New York Daily News
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