NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Queens man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Monday for killing an 81-year-old World War I veteran in a stunning cold case that spanned 45 years and five U.S. states before it was smashed open by DNA evidence, the borough's district attorney announced.
The sentencing comes after Martin Motta, 75, pleaded guilty last month to first-degree manslaughter, more than four years after the remains of veteran George Clarence Seitz were found in a backyard in Richmond Hill.
“After 46 years, a veteran of the First World War gets justice. The successes of modern technology and forensics made it possible for us to not only identify the bones of the victim but also to help find any witnesses," Katz said in a statement.
Motta's arrest stemmed from the discovery of human remains buried under concrete in the backyard of a home at 87-72 115th St. on March 12, 2019.
A human pelvis and partial torso were found, according to prosecutors, who said the body had been dismembered at the neck, shoulders and hips.
Even though the remains had decayed over the decades, the medical examiner’s office was able to determine a DNA profile that led investigators on a path to identifying the victim.
Investigators first compared the DNA profile to local, state and national databases, but that was a dead end.
In 2020, the Queens District Attorney’s Office and NYPD began working with the FBI and a private lab, Othram Laboratories, to generate new leads.
In February 2021, Othram used advanced DNA testing to produce "a comprehensive genealogical profile from the skeletal remains," Katz said.
The genealogical profile was sent to the FBI, which generated new leads that were turned over to the district attorney’s office and the NYPD.
Investigators contacted potential family members of the victims and obtained DNA samples to compare with the remains.
Investigators were able to confirm the remains were those of Seitz, who went missing on Dec. 10, 1976, when he was last seen leaving his home in Jamaica, Queens, at 10 a.m.
Seitz was reportedly on his way to get a haircut at the time, and further digging led investigators to identify Seitz as a regular customer of Motta at the barbershop.
Investigators determined Motta fatally stabbed Seitz in the head after he robbed him of $7,000 to $8,000. He then buried his remains in his backyard.
Officials said the investigation spanned five states and included multiple witness interviews and extensive searches of records across various agencies.
"When I became District Attorney, I created the Cold Case Unit for cases such as this where time seems to be the enemy," Katz added in her statement. "Time allowed forensic genetic genealogy and our investigators to catch up to this defendant."
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