Man convicted of 2019 murder sentenced after judge rejects new trial bid

Published 2:38 pm Thursday, July 9, 2026

EVERETT — After seven years of legal proceedings, including multiple trials and two convictions, a Monroe man will spend the next two decades behind bars for a deadly stabbing in 2019.

Kevin Rodriguez, 36, has seen many days in a courtroom since being charged with murder, including having one guilty verdict tossed out and another recently challenged over concerns about a juror’s competence.

On Thursday, Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Cindy Larsen delivered what may be the final decision in the death of 56-year-old Evodio Garcia Martinez: a 20-year prison sentence for the man convicted of the crime.

“Evodio was more than just a victim in this case,” Kailee Garcia, a family member of the victim, wrote in a statement read by a victim advocate before the sentencing. “He always wore a bright and contagious smile. It was something we’ll never forget and something we’ll never see again.”

A jury found Rodriguez guilty of second-degree murder in April for killing Garcia Martinez while he slept at a Monroe apartment complex on the night of Feb. 9, 2019, The Daily Herald previously reported.

Investigators said Rodriguez broke into the apartment where he used to live on on Feb. 10, 2019, and stabbed the man to death. He then allegedly hid in a bedroom until the other residents came home and attacked them with two butcher knives, court documents said.

Prosecutors described the killing as brutal and senseless, while asking the judge to deliver a maximum sentence of nearly 30 years.

“The defendant’s actions violently took a father, uncle and friend for those who were in his life,” deputy prosecuting attorney Tyler Scott said during the hearing. “The defendant asked the jury to believe that he was the victim in this case. That someone else attacked him, including the sleeping Evodio. That he was just defending himself. The jury rightfully rejected those claims.”

In his initial 2021 trial, Rodriguez told the court he acted in self-defense, because Garcia Martinez pointed a gun at him. Police said a gun was never found at the crime scene or during the investigation.

Rodriguez testified that his memory of the night was fuzzy and he admitted to using methamphetamine before the attack, The Daily Herald reported.

He received a 20-year sentence following a manslaughter conviction, court records said. The conviction, and as a result the sentence, was thrown out by the state Court of Appeals in 2023 due to improper jury instruction.

When the case was tried again earlier this year, a jury found Rodriguez guilty of second-degree murder following a 17-day trial.

“I believe the administration of justice in these circumstances demands that Mr. Rodriguez receive no greater punishment than that he received in the first trial,” defense attorney Karim Merchant told the court before sentencing.

The murder conviction was quickly put in doubt when one of the jurors from the trial was arrested for a violent attack just three days later.

The 20-year-old man — identified in court documents as “Juror 14” — is facing charges for allegedly forcing his way into an Everett home and stabbing two women while saying he was “sent by Jesus,” according to The Daily Herald’s previous reporting.

Merchant questioned whether the man was mentally competent when he served on the jury just days before and argued the alleged crimes amounted to juror misconduct. As a result, Rodriguez’s defense team filed a motion asking the judge for a new trial.

Late last month, the judge rejected the bid for a third trial. Larsen ruled no sufficient evidence was presented to the court indicating that Juror 14 was not mentally competent when he served on the jury, court records said.

In addition to the second-degree murder sentence, Rodriguez was also resentenced on two second-degree assault charges that were not overturned when he was convicted in 2021. He received an additional four years tacked onto the 20-year murder sentence.

Rodriguez and his defense attorney have 30 days to appeal the conviction and sentence.

Ian Davis-Leonard: 425-339-3097; ian.davis-leonard@heraldnet.com