Plainfield man sentenced to 40 years for girlfriend's murder

A 24-year-old Plainfield man has been sentenced to 40 years in state prison for the 2020 strangulation death of his 19-year-old girlfriend.

Bryan Gonzalez Martines, was sentenced May 15 to four decades in state prison by Union County Superior Court Judge Thomas Isenhour, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel and Plainfield Police Director James T. Abney announced.

As part of his sentence, Gonzalez Martines must serve 85 percent before becoming eligible for parole, the prosecutor's office said.

Gonzalez Martines was found guilty of murder on July 11, 2023 following a month-long trial before Isenhour.

On the morning of July 6, 2020, Plainfield police responded to a home on the 700 block of Kensington Avenue to conduct a welfare check and found the body of 19-year-old Brenda Montoya-Cruz, according to Assistant Prosecutors Alaina Caliendo and Shivani Trivedi, who prosecuted the case.

“We are grateful for the hard work of Assistant Prosecutors Alaina Caliendo and Shivani Trivedi along with Homicide Task Force Detectives Nora Berrios and Ryan Kirsch on this case,” Prosecutor Daniel said. “I hope this sentencing can bring some relief to those mourning Ms. Montoya-Cruz.”

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.