Hernandez
ANSONIA – The man who shot and killed 25-year-old Isaia Hernandez in an Ansonia convenience store parking lot was sentenced to 14 years in prison, plus five years of probation, on Thursday (Aug. 29).
Luis Marquez, 32, had pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter as well as conspiracy to commit robbery for his role in the drug-related killing at Ansonia Xpressmart on 180 Wakelee Ave. on March 16, 2011.
Outside the courtroom, members of Hernandez’s family said they were grateful to see his killer behind bars, but that they wished for a longer sentence.
“No amount of time is going to be good enough for us,” said Margaret Simpson, Hernandez’s aunt. “We lost a loved one, and it’s not easy, it’s hard.”
According to court documents, Marquez and an accomplice, Elijah Stanford, had intended to steal about $1,000 worth of cocaine from Hernandez.
Then, believing that Hernandez “looked like he was reaching for something,” Marquez fired multiple shots at Hernandez, killing him. Police said the two men then escaped in a car driven by a third accomplice, Andrew Spino.
Spino and Stanford are also facing charges connected to the killing. Marquez’s case is the first of the three to be resolved.
Marquez was initially charged by police with felony murder, first-degree robbery and first-degree conspiracy to commit robbery.
Under the terms of a plea deal, his sentence was to be between 10 and 20 years. Hernandez’s family members had asked for the maximum sentence.
In court, members of the family provided victim impact statements that described the depth of their loss and painted a portrait of Isaia ‘Ike’ Hernandez as a changing man. He was in a program to become a mechanic at the time of the killing, and his death left behind a two-year-old son.
“My son would call me every Wednesday, and on that Wednesday I did not hear from him,” his mother, Myra Rivera, said in a statement that was read to the court by Simpson. “Instead I received a phone call from his girlfriend, trying to explain to me while she was crying, that my son was killed. This was the day my heart was shattered.”
In addition to a son, now high school age, Hernandez’s murder left behind his girlfriend, his parents, his grandparents, and many aunts and cousins. Click here for his obituary.
Marquez and Stanford were arrested separately in early 2021. Andrew Spino, the accused getaway driver, was extradited from Hawaii, where he was serving time for an unrelated offense, in September 2022.
Marquez’s attorney, Jerry Attanasio, had asked for leniency from the court given positive changes that Marquez had made in his life since the killing. Judge Kevin S. Russo noted Marquez was 18 when he killed Hernandez.
“He (Marquez) stands before the court today, I am certain, not the same person that he was in 2011. But the deceased also is not here,” Judge Russo said.
A victim impact statement noted he never came forward during the 11-year homicide investigation.
Marquez, addressing the court, said he accepts responsibility for the crime.
“I ask the Judge to show some mercy, but I know I deserve whatever’s coming. I’m not going to sit here and act like I don’t,” Marquez said.
The other two suspects in the killing have not yet entered pleas. Elijah Stanford is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 23, and Andrew Spino is scheduled to appear on Sept. 25.
Luis Marquez
