He Strangled Hurricane Sandy Victim
Man Sentenced for Killing Nurse
BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- Nurse Madonna Martin survived Hurricane Sandy, even though her Far Rockaway, Queens apartment was devastated by the November 2012 storm. But she would barely make it past Thanksgiving – killed not by an Act of God – but an act of a co-worker, Richard Bloomfield, who offered up a room in the Mott Haven home he shared with his mother, only to strangle Martin to death fewer than five days after she took him up on that offer.
Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson announces that, following a plea of guilty to manslaughter in the first degree, the 43-year-old Bloomfield has been sentenced by Supreme Court Justice Denis Boyle to 21-and-a-half years in prison followed by five years post-release supervision and a waiver of his right to appeal.
Bloomfield was a dialysis tech who worked with the 22-year-old nurse at the Columbia-Presbyterian dialysis center, and he had a bit of a crush on her. But she lived with her boyfriend in that Far Rockaway apartment, and when Sandy swamped it, she camped out in her boyfriend’s office for a couple of weeks. But when he moved to Florida for a new job and where she was to soon join him, Madonna Martin was temporarily homeless – and Bloomfield made his kind offer.
On November 19th, Martin moved in to the extra room in the private house the defendant shared with his mom, at 635 Fox Street. But she would live there less than a week. On November 23rd, Madonna Martin packed up her belongings, ready to move out the next day to join her boyfriend, but Bloomfield figured that if he couldn’t have her, no one could – and he strangled her to death in the wee hours of the morning, just hours before she was going to leave for Florida.
But it got more bizarre. Bloomfield dragged Martin’s dead body into her car. He stuffed all her clothing and belongings in as well, and took off. A mile-and-a-half away, at Bruckner Boulevard and Brook Avenue, he found a dumpster and tossed in all of his victim’s belongings. Then he maneuvered his victim’s dead body into the driver’s seat. And he waited. Hours later, he called 911.
When police and EMTs responded to the scene, he admitted what he’d done, telling them, “I killed my friend. I killed my friend.” And when police went to his apartment and met his mom, she handed them her son’s handwritten note. It was an apology for killing Madonna Martin.
Two family members of Madonna “Donna” Martin read victim impact statements in court. Maricris Etnel described her sister and the impact of her death: “Donna chose to see the good in everyone and trustingly expected them to have her best interest at heart. Instead Richard Bloomfield had ulterior motives when he exploited her innocent and selfless nature by offering a room to rent. Donna’s trusting personality was taken advantage of as she fell victim to the actions of a methodical and malicious man.
“This shocking experience caused my family such an unimaginable pain, heartaches and anguish. Our holidays, birthdays, and seasonal activities will never be the same. Especially Thanksgiving because the anniversary of Donna’s death lies so closely.”
Madonna Martin’s brother-in-law, Gillie Etnel, added: “Madonna had choices in her life, but she chose the right path. She chose to stay away from clubs and bars, and she chose not to drink and smoke. Instead, she chose to dedicate her life helping and saving lives by becoming a nurse. This career she chose gave meaning to her life because she loved it, and she was excellent in this field. Madonna had a bright future ahead of her, and the defendant chose to take her life in which he does not own.”
Mario Perez, the boyfriend who was just a day away from spending the rest of his life with the victim, also spoke to the defendant and the Court: “Madonna showed me how to enjoy life. After the hurricane, we lived at my job.
Perez described how he went down to Florida to his new job and how Martin was to join him right after: “Five days she was out of my sight – and that’s all it took for this man to kill her…No time will ever replace the time I would have had with her.”
Addressing Bloomfield, Perez concluded, “You took pure joy from this world.”
#Hurricane Sandy #Strangled #BronxDA #Richard Bloomfield
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