Defendant in 2021 East Palo Alto manslaughter case pleads no contest
A 46-year-old man has pleaded no contest to a felony voluntary manslaughter charge for killing a woman in East Palo Alto in 2021 in a case his defense attorneys say was self-defense.
Jason Dixon entered the plea Monday in exchange for a sentence of 12 years in prison for the death of 48-year-old Marielos Martinez, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.
On July 2, 2021, someone called 911 after hearing glass breaking and a woman screaming next door to his home on Verbena Drive. Officers responded and Dixon came out with blood on his clothing, prosecutors said.
Officers entered and found Martinez in the garage. She was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later and an autopsy determined she had been beaten with a baseball bat and strangled with a pair of pants, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Defense attorneys said Martinez was a tenant in Dixon's home and he defended himself in a way consistent with his training as a decorated U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq.
Dixon, who is Black, entered the no contest plea to avoid a possible life sentence if he was convicted of murder at trial, his attorneys said.
"People, particularly Black people, are afraid of juries. It's just the way it is," attorney Geoff Carr said.
Carr said Martinez allegedly attacked Dixon with a knife after he served her with an eviction notice, and that Dixon defended himself with the bat and piece of clothing.
"This is a very tragic case for a decorated veteran who deserved better than this," Carr said.
Dixon's sentencing is scheduled for May 19. Defense attorney Matt Sullivan said with credits for time already served in custody, Dixon could be released in about six years.
