Roberto Alvarez and Miguel Alvarez were cousin brothers who had collaboratively murdered their brother-in-law Alberto Martino. His dead body was retrieved, near his car in Old York Road, in the city of Philadelphia, United States. Alberto was a DJ, who hosted weekly salsa shows and was a known person in the community.
But his life came to an unexpected and tragic end on the night of September 6, 1989. Martino was coming back from the WIBF radio station to his home in his car when he was killed in the middle, at a distance on Old York Road.
Philly Homicide, Season 1, Episode 6 titled When the Music Died documents the entire murder of Alberto Martino, plotted by Roberto Alvarez and Miguel Alvarez. Roberto Alvarez is spending his punishment at the Mercer Correctional Institution, while Miguel Alvarez is incarcerated at the Laurel Highlands Correctional Institution. The episode is set to air on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at 9 pm EST on Oxygen.
What is the reason behind the murder committed by Roberto Alvarez and Miguel Alvarez
Alberto Martino was a popular name among the members of the Latino community in Philadelphia, for he was a well-known host for its Salsa shows. This time was the peak of his popularity, providing him with a promising career in the industry. However, before his murder, Martino was tensed with an unexpected threat looming around him and his partner.
Martino's girlfriend, Lydia Alvarez was receiving horrifying threatening bloodstained letters, telling her to end her relationship. After Martino's murder, the investigators began looking into the victim's relationship with his close people, and it was then they found a darker truth. It was revealed that Miguel had romantic feelings for Lydia, and had already confessed to her.
After her rejection, this infatuation turned into rage and obsession, which led him to plot Martino's murder with Robert Alvarez. A worker in the convenience store also provided a witness revealing that he had seen both Roberto Alvarez and Miguel Alvarez, around Martino. Upon matching the bloodstained fingerprints from the letters, the investigators found it matched Lydia's cousin, Miguel.
Roberto Alvarez and Miguel Alvarez devised a plan to eliminate Alberto Martino
Alberto Martino had a very good connection with the community and was a frequent visitor to WIBF, a 92.5 FM radio station. On September 6, 1989, it was a regular Wednesday, when Martino was coming back from the radio station after a Salsa show.
He was driving the car through Old York Road when the vehicle suddenly stopped in the middle. Martino thought it to be a minor disfunction, and went outside to open the hood. However, this is exactly what Roberto Alvarez and Miguel Alvarez had planned for. They had deliberately disrupted the car's function and were waiting for Martino, to get the best opportunity.
Right when Martino came outside of the car, and was invested in detecting any malfunctions, Miguel came from the back with a rod wrapped in tape. Before the victim could overcome the shock, his girlfriend's brother Robert Alvarez fatally shot Martino from the back.
After rigorous interrogation and overwhelming evidence, the two eventually confessed to being involved throughout the entire plan. Roberto Alvarez and Miguel Alvarez were charged with homicide and were sent to lifetime imprisonment without any chance of parole in separate correctional institutions in Pennsylvania. Roberto Alvarez is currently spending his sentence at the Mercer Correctional Institution, while Lydia's cousin is currently incarcerated at the Laurel Highlands Correctional Institution.
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