Selena Martinez: Rhode Island woman gets over three decades for drug-related murder of BF's grandmother

BRISTOL, RHODE ISLAND: Selena Martinez, 28, was sentenced to over three decades in prison for the gruesome murder of her boyfriend's grandmother, 62-year-old Eudora Gustafson, in 2017.

The Rhode Island Attorney General's Office announced the verdict on Thursday, February 1, revealing that Martinez will spend 60 years behind bars for her crimes.

What were the charges against Selena Martinez?

Martinez pleaded guilty on January 19 to a range of charges, including second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, receiving stolen goods, forgery, and obtaining property under false pretenses. Despite the 60-year sentence, she is slated to serve 35 years in prison.

Her boyfriend, Raymond Paiva IV, had previously been sentenced in October to 60 years in prison with 20 years suspended after pleading guilty to similar charges, with an additional count of forgery.

Timeline of Selena Martinez and Raymond Paiva's attack on Eudora Gustafson

According to the attorney general's office, the horrifying incident occurred on February 10, 2017. Martinez, driven by a desire for drug money, and Paiva were at Gustafson's residence. Taking advantage of the moment her husband left for work at 3.15 pm, Martinez attacked the 62-year-old victim to obtain access to her car keys.

The statement from the attorney general's office details that Martinez "restrained the victim while she and Paiva attacked her with a pillow and covered her head with a trash bag with the drawstring drawn tightly around her neck." After the assault, she stole Gustafson's checkbook, rings, jewelry, and money before fleeing in her car.

Martinez then reportedly sold the stolen items at a pawnshop around 7 pm and purchased heroin nearby. Providence Police arrested her, with Martinez's DNA found on the trash bag used in the suffocation of Gustafson.

Attorney General Peter Neronha expressed, "Tragedies like these are particularly tough to comprehend. The defendant is a deeply troubled woman who senselessly murdered and robbed her boyfriend’s grandmother to obtain money to buy drugs, and the victim’s family is left to pick up the pieces." He hopes that Martinez receives the necessary help in prison and that it provides some relief to Gustafson's grieving family.