Story by Ethan
On October 29th, 2025, the arrest of Alex Martinez, age 20, and Luis Castillo, age 19, was announced by Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark. Alex Martinez and Luis Castillo were charged with two counts of second-degree Murder, one count of first-degree Manslaughter, two counts of first-degree Robbery, two counts of second-degree Robbery, and two counts of second-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon. The arrest and charges against Alex Martinez and Luis Castillo were a result of an investigation handled by NYPD Detectives Stephen Doyle of the Bronx Homicide Squad and Felix Delcarpio of the 43rd Precinct Detective Squad.
According to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, at approximately 12 a.m. on September 4th, 2025, both Alex Martinez and Luis Castillo were traveling around the area of Beach Avenue and Cross-Bronx Expressway on bicycles before approaching a random civilian. Allegedly the defendants pointed a handgun at the individual and robbed him of his wallet and cell phone before fleeing. Approximately 15 minutes after the aforementioned altercation, allegedly Alex Martinez and Luis Castillo entered the area of Starlight Park where it’s claimed that they approached another victim, later identified as Ronell Marte, and threatened him at gunpoint to surrender his belongings. Ronell Marte handed over his cell phone, however allegedly one shot was fired from the defendants that struck Ronell Marte. An unrelated individual biking through the area located Ronell Marte an unspecified amount of time later and reported the sighting to law enforcement. Ronell Marte was transported to St. Barnabas Hospital for treatment, however he was ultimately pronounced dead at the hospital.
The Bronx District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Alex Martinez and Luis Castillo are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
