New York Man Strangled Woman After Watching ‘Dexter’ & ‘The First 48’ to Get Ideas, Prosecutors Say

Cory Martin is a New York man who is accused of murdering a woman after watching the television shows ‘The First 48’ and ‘Dexter’ for tips on “covering up a violent crime and disposing of the victim’s body,” according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Eastern District of New York.

“Today, a federal jury in Brooklyn returned a guilty verdict against Cory Martin on all counts of a superseding indictment charging him with murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, aggravated identify theft and fraudulent use of identification relating to a scheme to fraudulently obtain life insurance policies in the name of a woman, murder her and collect the insurance proceeds,” the March 4 news release says. The victim is Brandy Odom.

“The verdict followed a two-week trial before United States District Judge Ann M. Donnelly. When sentenced, Martin faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.”

“I waited six years,” Odom’s mother Nicole Odom told the New York Daily News. “That’s one monster that’s off the street right now. Because that’s what he is right now. He’s a monster.”

Here’s what you need to know:

Cory Martin, a Pimp, Watched ‘Dexter’ Because He Was ‘Looking for Ways’ to Murder the Victim, Brandy Odom, Authorities Say

According to the release, Martin “resided at a house in Rosedale, Queens, with the then-26-year-old victim, Brandy Odom, and a co-conspirator who were engaged in commercial sex work for the defendant who operated as their pimp.”

In March and December 2017, Martin and the co-conspirator “fraudulently obtained two life insurance policies in Odom’s name. They made premium payments to the life insurance companies by Western Union money orders and by using a debit card in Odom’s name,” the release says. “At trial, Martin’s co-conspirator testified that prior to Odom’s murder, she and the defendant watched ‘The First 48,’ a true-crime TV show about police tactics and they discussed “what not to do, and what things to do to avoid being caught by the police.”

According to the release, “The co-conspirator testified that Martin also watched ‘Dexter,’ a TV show about a serial killer who dismembered his victims, because the defendant was “looking for ways to commit the crime when he got rid of Brandy.”

“It is fitting that that Martin faces a mandatory sentence to spend the rest of his life in prison for this ghastly, cold-blooded crime that was motivated by greed and executed after extensive planning,” Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in the news release.

“Martin saw the victim as a moneymaker, trafficking her for commercial sex, then after killing her with his bare hands, tossing out her slaughtered body parts like trash so he could profit from her death. Brandy Odom suffered an unthinkable death at the defendant’s hands, but her life mattered and I hope that this verdict holding the defendant responsible brings some measure of closure to her family,” he said.

Cory Martin Strangled the Victim in Her Bedroom & Then Used an Electric Saw to Dismember Her in a Bathtub, Authorities Say

MugshotCory Martin

In early April 2018, Martin “strangled Odom in her bedroom. Martin and the co-conspirator then purchased cleaning supplies and a vacuum— to clean up the murder scene—at the Green Acres Mall on Long Island,” the news release says.

On April 6, 2018, Martin “searched Home Depot’s website for a ‘Dewalt 12-Amp Corded Reciprocating Saw,’ described as featuring a ‘powerful 12 Amp motor designed for heavy-duty applications,'” it says.

“Later that evening, Martin searched YouTube for ‘how to insert blade for reciprocating saw’ and ‘using reciprocating saw.’ The co-conspirator testified that Martin used an electric saw to dismember the victim’s corpse in the bathtub after covering every surface in the bathroom with heavy-duty, black garbage bags to eliminate evidence of the killing,” the release says.

In the early morning of April 8 and April 9, 2018, Martin “disposed of Odom’s body parts in Canarsie Park with the assistance of his co-conspirator. On April 10, 2018, Martin conducted dozens of Internet searches for news articles, including “Search area expands after dismembered body found in Canarsie Park in Brooklyn,” the release says.

“Martin also accessed a Twitter post titled ‘Person walking dog discovers remains of woman in Brooklyn park,'” it says. The following day on April 11, 2018, “Martin searched YouTube using the search term ‘exclusive interview of mother of girl found in park,'” the release notes.

“After Odom’s murder, at Martin’s direction, his co-conspirator made several unsuccessful attempts to claim benefits under Odom’s life insurance policies,” according to the release.

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