Connecticut Man Gets 90 Years in Prison for Jealousy-Induced Shooting at Olympian’s Mother!
- A man shot Yarimar Mercado Martínez’s mother at her home in Connecticut.
- The mother of the two-time Olympian rifle shooter passed away from the bullet shots.
- The athlete was in Brazil when the unfortunate incident happened.
Franklin Robinson gets a lifetime in prison for his part in killing Yarimar Mercado Martínez’s mother
Olympian Yarimar Mercado Martínez’s mother passed away after being struck inside her home during a jealousy-related shooting.
Mabel Martínez Antongiorgi, 56, was sewing her crafts, in her Waterbury, Connecticut home when she became a victim of a stray bullet that hit her right across her head on April 9, 2022.
Judge Brian Preleski sentenced Franklin Robinson, 40, to 90 years in jail. He was one of three men involved in the death of the two-time Olympian’s mother’s murder.
While the tragedy took place, Yarimar was in Brazil for a competition. The athlete competed for the family’s native Puerto Rico at the 2016 and pandemic-delayed 2020 Games.
The trial testimony also proved that Robinson was gunning for a man who simply said hello to his ex-girlfriend the other day.
After fighting with the man and some of his pals, the possessive ex teamed up with some men to finish the man.
According to the trial testimony, shot up a car near Martinez’s house thinking the man could be inside. In the gun violence, another bystander was wounded.
Robinson was not the one to fire the bullet but he was charged with murder for his role under Connecticut law.
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Yarimar Mercado paid tribute to her late mom
After finding out about her mother’s death, Mercado Martinez expressed her pain that she couldn’t even say goodbye to her beloved mom.
The athlete shared a photo with her mom, writing in Spanish,
“Why you? Why this way? You were just sitting in your little house sewing, as you always did,”
“There are so many things I still needed to learn from you … I was so far away without being able to do anything, I couldn’t even say goodbye to you.”
Martinez Antongiorgi and her husband of over 30 years, John Luis Mercado moved to the US in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
The grieving daughter later posted on social media that her parents were planning to renew their wedding vows when she was killed.
On her mother’s birthday in September, the Olympian shared a memory of learning how to cook guanimos con bacalao. It is a typical Puerto Rican boiled cornmeal dish wrapped in cornhusks and served with cod. She noted that it was the last meal they shared before her mommy’s unfortunate death, writing in Spanish,
“Love a lot and value it because life is fragile and tomorrow is not certain.”
AP also reported that the Puerto Rico Shooting Association helped with the funeral costs. It included taking her mother’s body back to Puerto Rico.
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