USA - California. Superior Court Judge William R. Froeberg sentenced Carlos Martinez, 34, to death

Superior Court Judge William R. Froeberg sentenced Carlos Martinez, 34, to death. An Orange County jury convicted Martinez last year for the December 29, 2004 slayings of Nicolas Casas, 83, and his wife, Emilia Casas, 73. But the first penalty phase ended with an 11-1 hung jury in favor of death, setting the stage for second trial this year. The second jury voted unanimously for death on July 1. The slayings went unsolved for nearly a year until the Orange County sheriff's crime lab matched Martinez's DNA to genetic material found at the crime scene. His DNA was in a Department of Justice database because of a 1995 theft conviction. He was the 1st suspect to be arrested for murder in California under voter-enacted Proposition 69, which requires all convicted felons to provide a DNA sample.