BOSTON (WHDH) – A former bouncer accused of killing a Marine outside a Boston bar in 2022 pleaded guilty Thursday, changing his plea in an emotional court appearance more than two years after the incident.
Alvaro Larrama appeared in Suffolk County Superior Court for the change of plea and broke down while apologizing to family members of 23-year-old Daniel Martinez.
“I pray daily for Jehovah to give you strength, comfort and peace in your mind and in your heart,” he said, in part. “I want you to know that I am solely accountable for for Mr. Martinez’s death.”
Larrama also heard from Martinez’s mother, who shared a victim impact statement while holding pictures of her son.
“It could have been anyone’s child that night,” said Apolonia Martinez. “This is the world we live in. This is our reality. It’s overwhelmed with animals like him that prey on unsuspecting, innocent people.”
“Parents are not supposed to bury their children,” Apolonia continued. “It’s unnatural.”
The incident happened on March 19, 2022 outside the Sons of Boston Bar at Faneuil Hall.
Prosecutors said Larrama, an on-duty bouncer at the bar, stabbed 23-year-old Marine veteran Martinez after a verbal confrontation.
Martinez lived in Chicago and was visiting Boston at the time of his death.
“As Martinez and his friends walked away, Larrama allegedly followed them resulting in Martinez’s violent death on the street,” the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said in a statement this week.
Laramma was charged with second degree murder after the incident and initially pleaded not guilty.
Sons of Boston was closed for more than a year before reopening under a new name.
While Laramma’s case moved forward, former Sons of Boston co-owner Alisha Dumeer also pleaded guilty after she was previously indicted on a charge of accessory after the fact to murder.
According to prosecutors, Dumeer helped dispose of Larrama’s blood-soaked clothing on the night of the stabbing and gave him new clothes before ushering him out a backdoor.
Dumeer’s lawyer in November said her client made a terrible decision in the heat of the moment, saying she will regret the decision for the rest of her life. Dumeer herself then apologized to Martinez’s mother, who was in court for her change of plea.
Dumeer was sentenced to three years of probation, including six months of home confinement and 300 hours of community service.
Larrama pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 17-20 years in prison.
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