Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Two people have been charged with manslaughter in the respective deaths of their significant others.
26-year-old Sonny Martinez of Cheektowaga has been arraigned before Cheektowaga Town Court Justice Paul S. Piotrowski on one count of Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class "C" non-violent felony. He was arraigned on Saturday, January 19, 2019.
Prosecutors say during the early morning hours of January 19, 2019, the defendant caused the death of his girlfriend, 23-year-old Brittney Balbuzoski of Buffalo, inside his home on Ivanhoe Road. Martinez is accused of strangling the victim and recklessly causing her death. Martinez and Bulbuzoski were having sex when Martinez choked her to death, according to DA John Flynn.
Martinez is scheduled to return on Thursday, January 24 at 8:30 a.m. for a felony hearing. He remains remanded without bail.
Prosecutors say during the early morning hours of January 21, 2019, the defendant caused the death of her boyfriend, 30-year-old Pedro Pizarro, inside their Callodine Avenue home. She is accused of stabbing the victim in the back. Carpenter stabbed her boyfriend, who had past history of domestic disputes, in the back.
Carpenter is scheduled to return on Friday, January 25 at 11:30 a.m. for a felony hearing. She remains held on $100,000 cash or bond.
If convicted, she faces a maximum of 25 years in prison.
Flynn says in both cases, the deaths were not intentional, which is why the charge is manslaughter, not murder.
