Apolonia Martinez sat stoically, shoulders pushed back, not a tear falling from her eye in a packed courtroom in downtown Boston Thursday, the first time she had a chance to see the man who allegedly stabbed her 23-year-old son to death during St. Patrick’s Day weekend.
“I needed to see the person who took my son’s life. I needed him to feel the sorrow and the heartbreak that I and the family feels. My heart is broken,” said Martinez, whose son, Daniel, was fatally stabbed near the Sons of Boston bar after a disagreement with bouncer Alvaro Omar Larrama on March 19.
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“I couldn’t take my eyes off of him because he needed to see the person he destroyed. He killed my son and he killed a part of my heart,” Martinez said as she stood outside the courthouse.
Matthew Martinez, the victim’s twin brother, and other relatives and Marines who served with the slain man, attended a routine court hearing in Boston Municipal Court where Larrama was ordered to remain jailed while a murder charge is pending against him. Larrama, who has pleaded not guilty, is due back in court June 15, records show.
Matthew Martinez, who was the last family member to see Daniel Martinez, drove his brother to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport to spend St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Boston with some of his “Marine brothers.” He recalled learning about the death of his older twin.
“I was just shocked when I heard the news. I was with my cousins at the time, and I was sitting there and just in shock. You can’t really prepare for it,” Matthew Martinez said, hands tucked in his pockets. Martinez, relatives, and friends who traveled from Chicago for the hearing wore pins with a photo of Daniel Martinez in his Marine uniform.
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Apolonia Martinez said she wanted to make sure no one forgets the sacrifices her son and other Marines have made for the United States.
The family’s attorney, Thomas Flaws, said they are filing a civil lawsuit against Sons of Boston at the Suffolk Superior Court by the end of the week.
“We would like more answers, and that is why we are filing the lawsuit,” Flaws said.
Carolyn Conway, the Boston attorney for the owners of the Sons of Boston, declined to comment.
City regulators have sanctioned the bar, separately deciding last month to suspend both its entertainment and liquor licenses for varying periods of time.
The bar is closed indefinitely, Conway confirmed.
In the meantime, the Martinez family hopes to establish the Daniel Martinez Foundation to continue his legacy.
“It’s a lot of work, but it’s a labor of love,” Apolonia Martinez said with a smile.
Matthew Martinez said he wants people to remember his brother as a young and fun person.
“He loved life and achieved so many great things,’’ he said. “The foundation helps us see the bigger picture, and we want to help other people and spread awareness.”
Maysoon Khan can be reached at maysoon.khan@globe.com.