Jared Remy Pleads Guilty to First-Degree Murder

Photo via AP

Jared Remy, the son of Red Sox legend and announcer Jerry Remy, will spend the rest of his life in state prison without the chance of parole after changing his plea in connection with the murder of his girlfriend, Jennifer Martel.

During a pre-trial hearing in Middlesex Superior Court on Tuesday, in a move prosecutors called “substantial,” Remy pleaded guilty to stabbing and killing Martel in the couple’s Waltham apartment in August of last year.

Remy entered a guilty plea on four indictments, including first-degree murder, assault by means of a dangerous weapon, assault and battery, and violating a restraining order. Remy, who appeared relaxed during questioning, willingly answered a prosecutor’s inquiries about his mental health. During his appearance before Judge Kathe Tuttman, and a packed courtroom that included Martel’s family and friends, Remy was read his rights and told that by pleading guilty he could no longer challenge any actions the government has taken against him in regards to the murder charges.

Previously, Remy had entered a not guilty plea, and later told the Boston Herald in an exclusive jailhouse interview that he didn’t murder Martel. In court Tuesday, Remy said he wanted to take responsibility for what he had done.

After Remy waived his rights, prosecutors read a brief summary detailing the crimes that occurred on the night of Martel’s murder, information that would have been presented to the courts if the case had eventually gone to trial.

Martel’s murder occurred just one day after Remy, 35, was released from police custody for allegedly assaulting Martel last summer. Prosecutors said on Tuesday that neighbors witnessed Remy slashing Martel’s throat, and that the suspect’s actions came after an argument between the couple, and a Facebook update posted by Martel that indicated her relationship status was “complicated.” Officials said after witnesses saw Remy punch the victim, he wrapped both hands around the knife he used to kill Martel, and stabbed her several more times.

After prosecutors read the facts of the case, Remy was asked if he had carried out the acts outlined by officials, to which he replied, “yes, I did.” Remy added that the only difference between what happened, and what was reported by prosecutors was that “[Martel] had a knife in her hand, and was threatening me about my daughter.”

Following a brief break in the proceedings, the judge allowed friends and family members to speak before the court, at which time Alec Zadek, a lawyer representing Martel’s parents, read a statement. “Our lives will never be the same again. It doesn’t seem real, it’s a nightmare…we still dream about it,” Zadek said on behalf of the family. “The drive to keep living is gone. The only thing holding us together, besides God, is our children and grandchildren…we miss everything about Jen: her voice, her smile, her smell, her personality. We miss the phone calls, and the photos she posted on Facebook…our family’s world will never be the same. There will always be sadness. When she died, a part of us died, too.”

Kristina Flickinger Hill, a next-door neighbor and “good friend” of Martel’s, also made a statement in front of Remy prior to his sentencing. “She was my best friend…she was also a confidant, an advisor, a perfect babysitter,” she said. “It’s bad enough to lose a close friend at any age…it is worse to see that friend take her last breath at the hands of a man you let drive your car.”

Before he was escorted away by an officer to spend the rest of his life behind bars, Remy told the courtroom to blame him, and not his family, for Martel’s murder.