A Boston bouncer who killed a former Marine from the Chicago area pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges Thursday and faces up to two decades in prison, according to the Suffolk County district attorney’s office.
Alvaro Larrama, who originally pleaded “not guilty” to second-degree murder, has been sentenced to 17 to 20 years in state prison after he chased and stabbed Daniel Martinez, a former Marine sergeant and Palos Hills resident who was raised in Gage Park.
After traveling to Boston to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with friends in March 2022, Martinez, 23, and a friend were waiting in line outside the Sons of Boston bar — now called The Loyal Nine — and had a brief conversation with Larrama, now 40, before they were denied admittance, prosecutors said.
As Martinez and his friend walked away, Larrama allegedly chased after him with a knife before the veteran struck Larrama with an aluminum beer can, according to surveillance video reviewed by prosecutors. Larrama then stabbed Martinez once in his chest.
“Parents are not supposed to bury their children, it is not natural,” said Martinez’s mother, Apolonia Martinez, in an impact statement she read in court at the hearing. “I cannot hug my son anymore, all I have now are memories, a folded flag and a grave to cry on and place flowers on.”
Jacob Chuma, one of Martinez’s friends and a fellow Marine who was with him in Boston the night he was fatally stabbed, said he has had to use the VA crisis line multiple times since then. Martinez’s other Marine friends who were there described continued suffering and paranoia from the trauma of watching their friend die.
“I think I speak for a lot of my brothers in the Marine Corps, especially those of us who were there that night, that we felt safe going out and doing anything, but now whenever we’re together you can just feel that we’re all prepared for something to go wrong,” Chuma said. “Life isn’t supposed to be like that.”
Larrama addressed the Martinez family in court, saying he was “solely responsible” for Martinez’s death.
“First and foremost, I want to sincerely and deeply apologize to Daniel Martinez’s family,” Larrama said. “My heart goes out to all of Mr. Martinez’s family, friends, and loved ones, but especially to his mother. I pray daily to Jehovah that you find love and peace in your heart.”
The family has multiple ongoing civil cases related to the stabbing, including one against the bar,
The Martinez family didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
“The family is still pursuing its civil case against the bar and hopes to achieve further justice for their beloved son and brother,” said Boston-based attorney Thomas Flaws, who is representing the family, after the sentencing.
