 In a surprising end to a maddening murder saga, Jared Remy pleaded guilty to murdering his girlfriend, Jennifer Martel, in 2013, just seven months after claiming he was innocent in Martel's stabbing death at their Waltham home. | Michael Parente The nightmare gripping Waltham for the past nine months is over with admitted murderer Jared Remy behind bars for life. Remy, the son of former Boston Red Sox second baseman and current color commentator Jerry Remy, pleaded guilty Tuesday to killing his 27-year-old girlfriend, Jennifer Martel, at their Waltham home in 2013, a surprising end to a high-profile case considering Remy told the Boston Herald seven months ago he was innocent. The 35-year-old Remy appeared in Middlesox Superior Court to plead guilty to first-degree murder, assault and battery, and violating a restraining order, among other charges. Remy briefly addressed the court before Judge Kathe Tuttman handed down a life sentence, taking full responsibility for the murder – “Blame me for this, not my family,” he said – while also saying he warned Martel not to “threaten me with my daughter.” |
Remy claimed Martel had a knife in her hand and "threatened" him with their then-4-year-old daughter Arianna, who screamed for help while her father stabbed Martel to death.
The surprising guilty plea, in which Remy also called himself a “bad apple” and said his family would “rather have me dead than her,” ends a chilling saga in which Remy’s past discretions and brushes with the law were exposed in various media reports, pinning equal blame on the Remy family and the justice system for failing to stop Remy before he eventually committed murder.
According to public records obtained by the Boston Globe in April, Remy terrorized five different girlfriends from the time he was 17 and was continuously given multiple chances by the court system due to his father’s stature within the community and the presence of high-priced lawyers hired by the Remy family to keep him out of jail.
The Remy timeline also includes alleged threats of violence against classmates at the Gifford School in the mid-1990s, pushing a former high-school girlfriend and subsequently violating a restraining order, threatening to kill a roommate he claims led to he and his then-girlfriend breaking up, elbowing a police officer in the stomach in 2000, slashing a friend of his girlfriend’s tires and smashing the back window of her car two years later and getting busted for using steroids and stealing World Series jackets from Fenway Park in 2007 while working as a team security guard.
His disturbing relationship with Martel delves deeper into the psyche of a man given countless opportunities to clean up his act. Martel give birth to Remy’s daughter in 2008, a year after the two met and began dating. In August of 2013, Remy pushed Martel into a bathroom mirror during an argument, but was eventually released on his personal recognizance with a bail warning and no-abuse order.
According to Martel’s mother, her daughter did not extend the restraining at the request of the Remy family. Two days later, police were called to their home following a reported stabbing. A neighbor saw Remy assaulting Martel and unsuccessfully tried to break up the struggle. Police found Martel with multiple stab wounds and a blue cloth covering her face.
Remy initially pled not guilty and told the Herald the idea of him killing Martel was “ridiculous” and that “I still love her.”
The Remy family, specifically Jerry Remy, has come under scrutiny for allegedly aiding and abetting their son’s criminal behavior by going through great lengths to ensure he’d avoid jail time through the years. Jerry Remy has worked as a broadcaster for the Red Sox since 1998. He missed part of the 2009 season after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous area from his lung and took another leave of absence in August after his son was charged with murder. Remy returned to the booth, where he has been paired with play-by-play man Don Orsillo since 2001, this season amidst criticism and controversy, fueling a debate between fans and members of the media as to whether or not it was appropriate for him to broadcast games while his son was in jail.
WBZ-TV legal analyst Harry Manion said a guilty plea in a first-degree case is highly unusual and even went as far as to call Remy’s plea “laudable” for sparing the Martel family the pain and trauma of a murder one trail.
The surprising guilty plea, in which Remy also called himself a “bad apple” and said his family would “rather have me dead than her,” ends a chilling saga in which Remy’s past discretions and brushes with the law were exposed in various media reports, pinning equal blame on the Remy family and the justice system for failing to stop Remy before he eventually committed murder.
According to public records obtained by the Boston Globe in April, Remy terrorized five different girlfriends from the time he was 17 and was continuously given multiple chances by the court system due to his father’s stature within the community and the presence of high-priced lawyers hired by the Remy family to keep him out of jail.
The Remy timeline also includes alleged threats of violence against classmates at the Gifford School in the mid-1990s, pushing a former high-school girlfriend and subsequently violating a restraining order, threatening to kill a roommate he claims led to he and his then-girlfriend breaking up, elbowing a police officer in the stomach in 2000, slashing a friend of his girlfriend’s tires and smashing the back window of her car two years later and getting busted for using steroids and stealing World Series jackets from Fenway Park in 2007 while working as a team security guard.
His disturbing relationship with Martel delves deeper into the psyche of a man given countless opportunities to clean up his act. Martel give birth to Remy’s daughter in 2008, a year after the two met and began dating. In August of 2013, Remy pushed Martel into a bathroom mirror during an argument, but was eventually released on his personal recognizance with a bail warning and no-abuse order.
According to Martel’s mother, her daughter did not extend the restraining at the request of the Remy family. Two days later, police were called to their home following a reported stabbing. A neighbor saw Remy assaulting Martel and unsuccessfully tried to break up the struggle. Police found Martel with multiple stab wounds and a blue cloth covering her face.
Remy initially pled not guilty and told the Herald the idea of him killing Martel was “ridiculous” and that “I still love her.”
The Remy family, specifically Jerry Remy, has come under scrutiny for allegedly aiding and abetting their son’s criminal behavior by going through great lengths to ensure he’d avoid jail time through the years. Jerry Remy has worked as a broadcaster for the Red Sox since 1998. He missed part of the 2009 season after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous area from his lung and took another leave of absence in August after his son was charged with murder. Remy returned to the booth, where he has been paired with play-by-play man Don Orsillo since 2001, this season amidst criticism and controversy, fueling a debate between fans and members of the media as to whether or not it was appropriate for him to broadcast games while his son was in jail.
WBZ-TV legal analyst Harry Manion said a guilty plea in a first-degree case is highly unusual and even went as far as to call Remy’s plea “laudable” for sparing the Martel family the pain and trauma of a murder one trail.
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