Thomas Martinez. 36, pleaded guilty on Friday to Manslaughter in connection with the 2021 deadly shooting of Alijah Viramontes, 21, at a Lubbock auto shop.
He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Martinez will receive 1,366 days of jail credit for time already spent behind bars.
EverythingLubbock.com previously reported on December 12, 2021, at 4:22 a.m., officers were called to the 4800 block of Avenue Q for shots fired. The auto shop was described in court records as an “after party location.”
Officers arrived and found three people with gunshot wounds. Court documents said Viramontes was taken to University Medical Center, where he later passed away.
Witnesses told police there was a physical altercation when shots were fired. Court records said multiple people identified Martinez as the shooter. Martinez was also seen holding a gun and firing shots on surveillance video, according to court documents.
A victim impact statement from Viramontes’s mother said Martinez robbed her family of many happy moments they won’t get with Alijah. Viramontes’s mother said she does not have any anger or hate towards him. She reflected on knowing Martinez when he was young and said who he is as an adult is “heartbreaking.”
“I hope you use this time to reflect on your life choices and try to better yourself,” Viramontes’s mother said.
Viramontes’s mother said the length of Martinez’s sentence won’t bring back her son. She said no one’s family wins in such a horrible situation.
“Just know I forgive you,” Viramontes’s mother said in the statement.
