A New York man who watched the serial killer series Dexter before dismembering a sex worker was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday.
What Was the Crime?
Cory Martin, 37, lived with Brandy Odom, a 26-year-old sex worker who he managed, in an apartment in Queens before killing her for life insurance benefits.
Martin worked with a co-conspirator to fraudulently obtain two life insurance policies in Odom’s name the year before Martin strangled her in her bedroom, according to prosecutors.
Martin and the co-conspirator dismembered Odom’s body in 2018 and dumped her body parts in a Brooklyn park. Afterward, they made several unsuccessful attempts to claim benefits under Odom’s life insurance policies. They were apprehended in 2020.
During his trial, prosecutors said that Martin had watched crime shows like Dexter and The First 48 for tips on how to get away with the murder.
“The defendant believed he could thwart law enforcement and cover up this heinous crime by relying on television shows about murder, but the investigatory efforts of law enforcement brought him to justice,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace, whose office prosecuted the case, said Wednesday.
What Was the Sentence?
Martin was found guilty by a federal jury in March. Aside from his life sentence, Martin also received a concurrent 20-year sentence in prison for wire fraud conspiracy and a consecutive two-year term for aggravated identity theft.
Peace called what happened to Odom a “ghastly, cold-blooded crime” motivated by greed and executed with extensive planning.
“Martin preyed on Brandy Odom. He saw the victim as a way to make money,” Peace said. “He trafficked her for commercial sex, then killed her with his bare hands so he could profit from her death.”
The Vulnerability of Sex Workers
Sex workers are more vulnerable to physical and sexual violence because their services are generally criminalized in the United States.
According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine in 2014 titled “A systematic review of the correlates of violence against sex workers,” globally, sex workers had a 45 to 75 percent chance of experiencing workplace violence, whether that’s sexual violence and/or physical violence, in their lifetime.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline helps sex workers experiencing abuse. If you or a loved one is a sex worker in an abusive situation, you can call the hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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