A federal jury in New York returned a guilty verdict against a man on all counts of a superseding indictment charging him with murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, and fraudulent use of identification relating to a scheme to fraudulently obtain life insurance policies in the name of a woman, murder her and collect the insurance proceeds.
The verdict followed a two-week trial.
Cory Martin faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.
“It is fitting that that Martin faces a mandatory sentence to spend the rest of his life in prison for this ghastly, cold-blooded crime that was motivated by greed and executed after extensive planning,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Martin saw the victim as a moneymaker, trafficking her for commercial sex, then after killing her with his bare hands, tossing out her slaughtered body parts like trash so he could profit from her death. Brandy Odom suffered an unthinkable death at the defendant’s hands, but her life mattered and I hope that this verdict holding the defendant responsible brings some measure of closure to her family.”
Read: Utah And Maryland Man Charged With Attempting To Export U.S. Weapons To Sudan
Martin resided at a house in Rosedale, Queens, with the then-26-year-old victim, Brandy Odom, and a co-conspirator who was engaged in commercial sex work for the defendant, who operated as their pimp.
In March and December 2017, Martin and the co-conspirator fraudulently obtained two life insurance policies in Odom’s name.
They made premium payments to the life insurance companies by Western Union money orders and by using a debit card in Odom’s name.
At trial, Martin’s co-conspirator testified that prior to Odom’s murder, she and the defendant watched “The First 48,” a true-crime TV show about police tactics and they discussed “what not to do, and what things to do to avoid being caught by the police.”
The co-conspirator testified that Martin also watched “Dexter,” a TV show about a serial killer who dismembered his victims because the defendant was “looking for ways to commit the crime when he got rid of Brandy.”
Read: California Man Arrested For Smuggling Greenhouse Gases Into The US From Mexico
In early April 2018, Martin strangled Odom in her bedroom. Martin and the co-conspirator then purchased cleaning supplies and a vacuum— to clean up the murder scene—at the Green Acres Mall on Long Island.
On April 6, 2018, Martin searched Home Depot’s website for a “Dewalt 12-Amp Corded Reciprocating Saw,” described as featuring a “powerful 12 Amp motor designed for heavy-duty applications.”
Later that evening, Martin searched YouTube for “how to insert blade for reciprocating saw” and “using reciprocating saw.”
The co-conspirator testified that Martin used an electric saw to dismember the victim’s corpse in the bathtub after covering every surface in the bathroom with heavy-duty, black garbage bags to eliminate evidence of the killing.
In the early morning of April 8 and April 9, 2018, Martin disposed of Odom’s body parts in Canarsie Park with the assistance of his co-conspirator.
Read: 72-Year-Old Florida Man Charged With Hate Crimes Against Michigan “CAIR” Chapter
On April 10, 2018, Martin conducted dozens of Internet searches for news articles, including “Search area expands after dismembered body found in Canarsie Park in Brooklyn.”
Martin also accessed a Twitter post titled “Person walking dog discovers remains of a woman in Brooklyn park.”
The following day on April 11, 2018, Martin searched YouTube using the search term “exclusive interview of mother of girl found in park.”
After Odom’s murder, at Martin’s direction, his co-conspirator made several unsuccessful attempts to claim benefits under Odom’s life insurance policies.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.
Help support the Tampa Free Press by making any small donation by clicking here.
Android Users, Click To Download The Tampa Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our free newsletter.