Jennifer Martel Killer Jared Remy Pleads Guilty To Murder

Jennifer Martel’s former boyfriend and alleged killer, Jared Remy, pleaded guilty today to first-degree murder in a Massachusetts court.

Remy, 35, received a sentence of life imprisonment with no possibility of parole, so this was not a plea bargain in exchange for a lesser charge. Remy had originally pleaded not guilty so this development that does not offer a shorter jail sentence comes as a surprise.

He was due to go to trial in October.

Jared Remy is the troubled son of long-time Boston Red Sox TV broadcaster (and former Sox player) Jerry Remy.

Remy told Middlesex Superior Court Judge Kathe M. Tuttman that “I am here today not for a deal, but to take responsibility for what I have done. I would like you to know that I always told Jen she could leave, but don’t threaten me with my daughter. That night, Jen had a knife in her hand and threatened me with my daughter. So I killed her.”

He also said that “I am the bad apple and if you ask my family, they’d rather have me dead than her. Jen helped me clean up my act, but the one thing I never stopped doing was my love for drugs, and for that I am sorry. Jen was an angel and always will be an angel.”

According to Remy’s lawyer, the drugs Remy was referring to were steroids and painkillers.

Through a statement read in court today, Jennifer Martel’s parents said, “Our lives will never be the same again. It doesn’t seem real. It’s a nightmare… We want to get the word out about domestic violence. We want people to know the warning signs. We see signs now that we didn’t see before.”

Jared Remy was arrested on August 15, 2013 for stabbing Jennifer Martel to death in Waltham, Mass. Their young daughter, Arianna, was in the apartment at the time of the brutal attack. Martel’s brother and sister-in-law now have custody of the five-year-old.

Jerry Remy — affectionately known to the fans as the “RemDawg” — played second base for the Boston Red Sox from 1978 through 1984 and has been the color commentator on Red Sox game broadcasts on the NESN TV Network since 1988.

In recent years, Remy battled some health issues, which caused his absence from the telecasts for periods of time. He also took a leave of absence from his NESN broadcasting duties after his son’s arrest. Some Red Sox fans have expressed the opinion that the senior Remy should have stepped down permanently from the Red Sox TV job as a result of the charges against his son.

Immediately after Martel’s death, Jerry Remy released a statement: “My thoughts and prayers go out to Jenn Martel and her family. Words cannot describe my wife’s and my grief. Words cannot describe my wife’s and my grief. Son or not, I am at loss for words articulating my disgust and remorse over this senseless and tragic act. We are heartbroken.”

In a statement today, the Remys said, “‘We continue to be heartbroken over Jenn’s death. That will never change. No words can express the sorrow we feel for the Martel family. We are now focusing our attention on our grandchildren and doing what is best for them.”

Jared Remy also pleaded guilty to assault and battery, violating a restraining order, and assault with a dangerous weapon. He still faces separate charges in connection with a brawl with another inmate.

Massachusetts abolished the death penalty in 1984 so Jared Remy would not have faced capital punishment for the murder of Jennifer Martel under any circumstances.