A teenaged Honduras native marked his 17th birthday on Dec. 15 by pleading guilty to firearm use and the first-degree murder of 20-year-old Celvin Olivares-Portillo before Baltimore CIty Circuit Court Judge Jeannie J. Hong.
A Spanish language interpreter was present at the hearing to translate for 17-year-old defendant Jessiel Zuniga Martinez, who admitted in court he has only resided in the United States for about three years.
Martinez initially faced six other charges, including a second count of first-degree murder, reckless endangerment, and four firearm violations for his involvement in Olivares-Portillo’s death on Feb. 23.
In exchange for his guilty plea, Martinez now faces an aggregate sentence of 40-to 50 years, the first five to be served without possibility of parole. His sentence will be followed by five years of supervised probation.
The day he was gunned down, Olivares-Portillo had reportedly been walking to dinner with his girlfriend around 6 p.m. when two suspects approached and opened fire at the couple on the 4400 block of Eastern Avenue. Officers responding to the scene located Olivares-Portillo lying on his back and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at an area hospital less than 30 minutes after the incident. His girlfriend was uninjured.
Area surveillance cameras later showed that Martinez rode a Maryland Transit Administration bus to the general area of the incident, where he met up with a second suspect and began tailing Olivares-Portillo along Eastern Avenue. Following the shooting, the suspects reportedly fled on foot. During the plea hearing, the state’s attorney on the case admitted investigators have yet to apprehend the second suspect.
The crime scene consisted of the victim’s body, clothing, a white purse, eight 9mm shell casings, two live 9mm bullets, and two 9mm projectiles. A friend of Olivares-Portillo’s girlfriend later provided investigators with screenshots of messages she received that translated to, “Keep hanging out with [the victim] and we’ll kill you, too.” The messages contained references to the international 18th Street gang, a rival of MS-13, a similar criminal organization, said the prosecution.
Martinez acknowledged during the hearing that he entered the guilty plea instead of going on trial because he believed the terms to be in his best interest. The prosecution later advised that, he could have faced a maximum sentence of two life terms plus 60 years, the first 10 to be served without possibility of parole if convicted.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 6, 2026 at 12:30 p.m. before Judge Hong.
