Shooting Ruled Homicide As Victim Dies After 39 Years

A 1973 Bronx shooting was ruled a homicide after the victim died from a seizure 39 years later — a condition resulting from the shooting, the New York Daily News reported.

Evelyn Martinez was shot in 1973 by her ex-lover and suffered brain injuries for decades as a result. The Harlem woman died after collapsing at her home on Jan. 9 and her death was ruled a homicide. The city’s medical examiner said the gunshot wound she suffered caused the seizure, the Daily News reported.

Martinez, in March of 1973, was in the Bronx with her brother, Richard Rivera, when they were confronted by her ex-lover, Jose Morales, who opened fire on them, killing Rivera and wounding Martinez.

“She was the best mother in the world, she was a remarkable woman,” her daughter, Lorraine Martinez, 44, told the Daily News. “I remember her, but mostly I remember her smile.”

Police found Morales a few days later but he shot and killed himself before they could put handcuffs on him, the Daily News reported. There will not be arrests in the case but it can now be closed.