Man sentenced for fatal arson that killed girlfriend's mother
3
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — An Amherst man who intentionally set fire to his girlfriend's residence and killed her mother has been sentenced to five years in prison, the Erie County District Attorney's Office said Friday.
Daniel Martinez, 50, started a fire on the first floor of a multi-family home on Concord Avenue in Buffalo in the early morning hours of Sept. 30, 2020.
Martinez's girlfriend, who authorities said was the intended target, was not home at the time. However, her mother, Maria Galazka, was asleep and suffered multiple burns and smoke inhalation. She died over a month later on Nov. 5, 2020, her 66th birthday.
Martinez was originally charged with second-degree murder, but the charge was later reduced to attempted murder, which he pleaded guilty to on July 11. Galazka's family consented to the reduced charge.
Prosecutors had asked Acting Erie County Court Judge Andrew LoTiempo to impose the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, but Martinez was sentenced to the minimum of five years.
"The family of Maria Galazka has waited a long time for justice and wanted the defendant to receive the maximum sentence," Acting DA Mike Keane said in a news release Friday. "Unfortunately, the judge imposed the minimum prison term."
One Buffalo firefighter was injured in the blaze and was treated and released. A resident in the home's upper apartment was uninjured, but was displaced as a result of the fire.
Martinez will also be subject to five years of post-release supervision once he is out of prison.
Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.