Faces Life in Prison without Parole When Sentenced in July
A Hempstead man was convicted at trial for six robberies between 2021 and 2022, and a January 2022 attempted robbery at a restaurant in Hempstead in which the defendant shot and killed a 49-year-old man at point-blank range when he tried to stop the defendant from assaulting another patron.
On January 30, 2022, at approximately 10:54 p.m., Deshawn Martin entered Antojitos Express on Peninsula Boulevard in Hempstead carrying a loaded firearm and ordered everyone in the restaurant to get on the ground. Martin pistol whipped a patron, the first victim, several times.
Forty-nine-year-old Santos Valeriano Argueta intervened and pushed Martin out of the storefront. Once outside, Martin shot Argueta three times at close range, striking him in the forearm and head, then putting the barrel of his gun to Argueta’s chest and firing once more. As Argueta was on the ground, Martin went through the victim’s pockets, stole his cell phone, and fled the scene.
Just days after the shooting, on February 3, 2022, Martin committed two additional robberies. At approximately 4:03 a.m., Martin entered a 7-Eleven store at 333 Oak Street in Uniondale displaying a firearm. He then robbed the store at gunpoint and fled. Hours later, at 7:19 p.m., Martin entered a Dunkin Donuts at 467 Old Country Road in Westbury and again, with his firearm displayed, robbed the store.
Martin was also convicted of three October 2021 robberies he committed.
On October 22, 2021, Martin allegedly drove to a Subway store at 1341 Jerusalem Avenue in Merrick. Martin entered the store with a paper bag covering his right hand, indicated he had a gun and demanded money. Martin stole cash and fled the scene.
The next day, on October 23, 2021, Martin allegedly drove to a Dunkin Donuts store at 432 Jerusalem Avenue in Hicksville. Martin entered the store again with a paper bag covering his right hand and demanded money from the store workers. Martin stole approximately $1,315 and fled the scene.
On October 26, 2021, Martin allegedly drove into the rear parking lot of 150 Sunnyside Boulevard in Plainview. Martin exited the vehicle and entered a 7-Eleven across the parking lot, wearing a bandana with a paper bag covering his right hand, indicated he had a gun, and demanded money from the store workers. Martin stole approximately $200 and fled the store.
Martin, 28, was arrested on February 9, 2022, in Freeport by detectives of the NCPD’s Homicide Squad and Bureau of Special Operations. On June 5, he was convicted after a jury trial before Judge Terence Murphy of Murder in the First Degree (a Class A-I felony); six counts of Robbery in the First Degree (all Class B violent felonies); four counts of Criminal Use of a Firearm in the First Degree (all B violent felonies); three counts of Robbery in the Second Degree, Attempted Robbery in the First Degree and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (all Class C violent felonies); Assault in the Second Degree (a Class D violent felony); and Menacing in the Second Degree (a Class A misdemeanor).
The trial began on May 5, 2025, and the jury deliberated for four hours before delivering their verdict. Martin is due back in court on July 21, 2025, and faces a maximum of up to life in prison without parole.
“Santos was a decent and honorable man, only trying to protect his friend and the other terrified patrons when Martin determined his life was meaningless and ended it,” Nassau County DA Anne Donnelly said. “This defendant is nothing more than a cold-blooded killer and a true career criminal, holding up several other Nassau stores three months before he murdered Santos in Hempstead and picking up an additional arrest for robbery in Florida in the time between. He is a threat to the safety of our residents, and he should spend the rest of his life behind bars.”