Nelson Martinez
Nelson Martinez and his wife, Sonia, courtesy of Nelson Martinez’s family, by way of Dignity Memorial.
Nelson Martinez was born on February 23, 1943, in Havana, Cuba. Later in life, he moved to Miami, Florida. He settled down, married his wife, Sonia, and had a beautiful daughter, Iramis. A few years ago, Iramis and her husband had a son, making Nelson a grandfather.
Nelson Martinez and family, courtesy of Nelson Martinez’s family, by way of Dignity Memorial.
Nelson worked as an engineer with the Utility Coordinate Unit in the Miami Dade Water and Sewer Department for over 25 years. Some co-workers wrote heart-warming tributes on Nelson’s public memorial page; their words paint him as hard-working, responsible, and caring. Pablo Ascencio, who worked with Nelson in the department for a few years, remembered him as an “excellent engineer, always ready to help others”; Nelson was “dedicated to his work” but also “love[d] his family” deeply. Another, Patrick Chong, described Nelson as “a dedicated public servant with over 25 years of diligent service to Miami Dade County… Nelson took pride in his work reviewing the impact of roadway and drainage design on Miami Dade Water and Sewer Department utilities.”
Nelson Martinez with his daughter, Iramis, at her wedding, courtesy of Nelson Martinez’s family, by way of Dignity Memorial.
Yet, on August 31, 2020, Nelson passed away after a long and arduous battle with the coronavirus. We lost a dedicated public servant, a skilled engineer, a loving husband, father, and grandfather. For months, lawyers had been trying to get Nelson out of jail, citing his age and subsequent health concerns as strong arguments for compassionate release. In April, defense lawyer Arnold Trevilla filed an emergency motion, imploring the court to release Nelson. The circuit judge, Gina Beovides, declined; she did not even grant a hearing. “I filed motions, emailed prosecutors, communicated with corrections, I did everything I could to get him out,” Mr. Trevilla said. “When there was nothing else I could do, I begged… He didn’t deserve to die like this; no one does. We are humans first. The system failed him.”
The system not only failed Nelson; it also failed his family. On August 17, Arnold Trevilla learned of Nelson’s illness and hospitalization only after a corrections attorney emailed public defender Carlos Martinez — a man completely unrelated to or affiliated with Nelson — about Nelson’s condition. Thankfully, Carlos Martinez forwarded the email to Trevilla, who then notified Nelson’s family.
This lack of regard for basic human dignity and compassion is astounding and heartbreaking. We stand with Nelson’s family in mourning his passing.
Nelson Martinez with a tiger, courtesy of Nelson Martinez’s family, by way of Dignity Memorial.
This memorial was written by MOL team member Frances Keohane with information from reporting by David Ovalle of The Miami Herald and an online Obituary from the family through Dignity Memorial.
