'He knew exactly what he was doing.' Man sentenced in stabbing death of OC boy

Saturday, May 13, 2017
Man sentenced in stabbing death of 12-year-old OC boy
It's been six years since 12-year-old Juan Martinez was stabbed to death outside his Anaheim school. His family says their lives have never been the same.

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- It's been six years since 12-year-old Juan Martinez was stabbed to death outside his Anaheim school. His family says their lives have never been the same.

"We only have memories of his smile, his laugh. How he would squint his eyes, the things he would do to make us laugh," said Martinez's sister Jacqueline Perez.

Bryan Ocampo was sentenced Friday to 16 years to life in state prison for the brutal killing.

First, the court heard from the victim's family.

"With my brother, I lost my mom, because she's not the same person," said Lydia Martinez, a sister of the victim.

"His family will still get to see him and hear his voice, even if it's behind bars. We will never get to hear my brother's voice," said Perez. "All we have left of him are ashes."

In December, Ocampo was convicted of second-degree murder for killing Martinez, who belonged to a rival tagging crew.

"He sought him out at the school, brutally stabbed the victim three times in the upper body, killing him. As he's doing it, he's yelling out 'die, die, die,'" Judge Steven D. Bromberg said.

"It was planned, it was planned, it was planned again," the judge continued. "He knew exactly what he was doing. That's what makes this so egregious."

Ocampo was denied probation and will serve a minimum of three years parole when released. He was also ordered to pay more than $12,000 in restitution and fees.

During the sentencing, Ocampo briefly spoke, saying he had "the deepest and most immense regret and believe the remorse is punishment in itself."

Ocampo repeatedly said he was sorry.

"I take full responsibility for my shameful and regrettable actions. The Martinez family didn't deserve this. More importantly, neither did Juan," said Ocampo.

But to the Martinez family, Ocampo's displays of remorse don't mean much. "We don't accept his apology. He's not sorry. He's sorry he got caught," said Martinez's sister Lydia.

"No time in jail will ever be enough for what he did. We're just glad that it's over with," she said.