SPRINGDALE, Ark. — A 20-year-old has pleaded guilty to murdering a man in 2022 and has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, according to court documents.
Uriel Martinez was accused of shooting and killing Joseph Cuneo on May 6, 2022, in Springdale.
Kelly Cantrell, public information officer with the Washington County Sheriff's Office (WCSO), told 5NEWS after the shooting that deputies were called to a home in the 19100 block of Sonora Road for a person that had been shot. Cuneo was found dead at the scene.
“He was a really, really giving person and didn’t deserve any of that,” said Cuneo’s friend, Jody Randall.
Randall says Cuneo also leaves behind his mother, who Cuneo and his brother loved.
“They were her world,” Randall said. "They lived with her. They’re mama’s boys. They take care of her.”
“It’s going to take all of us to work together to kind of get through it,” Randall added.
According to a report from WCSO, residents at the home where the shooting took place allegedly saw Martinez, who was 18 at the time, holding a black rifle in the living room where Cuneo was found shot. The report says Martinez and another person got into Cuneo's vehicle and fled.
The pair ditched the vehicle at another location and then allegedly broke into a home on Recreation Drive in Benton County. When a deputy arrived at the home, Martinez allegedly would not comply and yelled at the deputy to kill him, according to the report.
The deputy and the homeowner, who was there at the time of the break-in, had to physically fight Martinez to get him handcuffed. The report states that Martinez kicked and spit on them.
The report states Martinez was found with a live .223 caliber round in his pocket and that a spent .223 shell casing and a live round were found at the scene of the shooting.
On June 27, 2024, Martinez pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, and second-degree battery. He was sentenced to a total of 30 years in prison.
2022 report:
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