Thursday, 4:30 PM
Mother faces daughter's convicted killer in Suffolk court
(George Rizer/Globe Staff)
Rosa Mejia (top) returned to her seat today after giving victim impact statement at the sentencing of Melvin Martinez, who was convicted of raping and murdering Mejia's daughter.
By John R. Ellement and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff
The mother of a woman who was raped and beaten to death with a rock in Chelsea in 2002 faced her daughter's convicted killer in court today as he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"Only someone who is heartless, only someone who has no feelings, could do something like this," Rosa Mejia said through a Spanish-language translator in Suffolk Superior Court.
Mejia was speaking to Melvin Martinez, 23, who was convicted of the rape and murder of 18-year-old Monica Mejia. Martinez showed no emotion as Judge Patrick Brady handed down the mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A jury convicted Martinez of taking Monica Mejia into woods on Powderhorn Hill shortly after midnight on July 16, 2002, raping her, hitting her in the head with a rock, and burning her body.
Rosa Mejia had emigrated with Monica Mejia and three younger children from El Salvador in 1990, trying to give them a better life in this country. She told the court today that only her family and her faith have kept her going since her daughter's death.
"It's been like a nightmare," Rosa Mejia said. "Only God gets me here."
Turning to Martinez, she said: "She was a human being. She didn't deserve this."
"I have to go on," Rosa Mejia said. "Justice has been served."
