NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A Queens man was convicted on Monday for allegedly killing his roommate and dismembering her body in a scheme to get life insurance benefits in 2018, according to prosecutors.
Cory Martin, 36, and a co-conspirator, Adelle Anderson, 35, lived with the victim, Brandy Odom, 26, in a house in Rosedale before her death in 2018, according to prosecutors. Odom and Anderson were engaged in commercial sex work for Martin who operated as their pimp, according to court documents.
During Martin's trial, which lasted nearly two weeks in a Brooklyn courthouse, Anderson testified that before Odom's murder in April 2018, they watched "The First 48," an A&E true-crime TV show about police tactics and they discussed "what not to do, and what things to do to avoid being caught by the police," according to court documents.
Anderson also stated that Martin allegedly watched "Dexter," the Showtime series about a serial killer who dismembered his victims because he was "looking for ways to commit the crime when he got rid of Brandy."
According to court records, in March and December 2017, Martin and Anderson allegedly fraudulently took out two life insurance policies in Odom's name. The payments to the life insurance policy were made through Western Union and by using a debit card in Odom's name.
In early April 2018, Martin allegedly strangled Odom in her bedroom, and then with the help of Anderson they purchased cleaning supplies from the Green Acres Mall on Long Island to clean up the murder scene, according to prosecutors.
It was also revealed in court documents that Martin allegedly searched Home Depot's website for a "Dewalt 12-Amp Corded Reciprocating Saw," on April 6, 2018. On the same day, Martin allegedly searched YouTube for "how to insert blade for reciprocating saw" and "using reciprocating saw."
Anderson testified that Martin did use an electric saw to dismember Odom's dead body in the bathtub after "covering every surface in the bathroom with heavy-duty, black garbage bags to eliminate evidence of the killing," according to court documents.
On April 9, a young woman's head and limbless torso were found in a park in Brooklyn which were later identified as Odom.
Prosecutors said that Martin disposed of Odom's body parts in Canarsie Park together with Anderson early morning on April 8 and 9. A surveillance photo of Martin which the government contended at trial showed him leaving Canarsie Park on April 9 carrying a suitcase that he allegedly used to carry Odom's torso.
In court records, it was revealed that Martin allegedly searched multiple news articles related to the incident, including looking up "Search area expands after dismembered body found in Canarsie Park in Brooklyn," on April 10, 2018.
The following day, he also allegedly searched up "exclusive interview of mother of girl found in park," on YouTube.
Following Odom's death, Martin and Anderson allegedly tried to claim benefits under Odom's life insurance policies. They were unsuccessful.
On Monday, a federal jury in Brooklyn returned a guilty verdict against Martin on all counts of an indictment charging him with murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, aggravated identity theft and fraudulent use of identification relating to a scheme to fraudulently obtain life insurance policies in the name of a woman, murder her and collect the insurance proceeds.
"It is fitting that Martin faces a mandatory sentence to spend the rest of his life in prison for this ghastly, cold-blooded crime that was motivated by greed and executed after extensive planning,"Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said. "Martin saw the victim as a moneymaker, trafficking her for commercial sex, then after killing her with his bare hands, tossing out her slaughtered body parts like trash so he could profit from her death."
If sentenced, Martin faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.
