An Air Force veteran who died after a random attack in her home three years ago had a generous heart and big retirement plans, family and friends said Monday during a Santa Maria Superior Court sentencing hearing for the man convicted of murdering Marilyn Pharis.
The comments came before Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge John McGregor, saying the sentence fits the crime, ordered Victor Ramirez Martinez, 32, to spend life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Martinez assaulted Pharis 64, using his fists and a hammer while a second man, Jose Villagomez — who took a plea deal for a sentence of 25 years to life — served as a lookout.
Eight days after the July 24, 2015 attack, Pharis died in a Santa Maria hospital after a blood clot traveled to her lung.
A jury convicted Martinez of first-degree murder with special circumstances that the killing occurred during a residential burglary, robbery and sexual assault in Pharis’ home on the 900 block of North Dejoy Street.
During sentencing Monday, Martinez was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine, at least $8,349 in restitution to the victim’s compensation fund. He also must register as a sex offender although he is expected to remain incarcerated until his death.
The prosecution team, including Senior Deputy District Attorney Ann Bramsen and colleague Fabiana Fede, contended the attack caused the death of Pharis, while the defense, led by Lori Pedego, maintained the woman received inadequate medical care.
“I feel like we finally obtained justice for Marilyn. We were able to secure the conviction for a horribly violent death and make sure that her killer never walks the streets again,” Bramsen said outside the courtroom Monday.
Pedego declined to comment after the sentencing hearing.
Two days before the anniversary of Pharis’s death, a judge heard victim impact statements about the loss of the woman, who had worked at the Vandenberg Tracking Station.
After his sister’s death, William Pharis of Rochester, New York, said he learned she was a regular donor to many charities benefiting the environment, animals, low-income people, and more.
“Not only will we her family and friends be poorer, the world will be poorer for her passing,” he said.
He said his younger sister’s list of things to do was found after her death, including items such as doing a good deed, learning a new skill, breaking a bad habit.
“This was a person who had a lot to give to the world. She was deprived of completing those tasks,” William Pharis said.
He also said he found it difficult to find compassion for Martinez.
“Removal from society forever is the only way to ensure that you will never abuse anyone ever again,” William Pharis addressed him in court. “We miss our gentle sister just as much today as we did three years ago.”
Lifelong friend Patty Holley said she and Pharis had talked about living together during retirement to extend their finances.
“When Marilyn died that dream died,” Holley said, adding a coworker likened the death to the loss of a spouse, with plans for the future suddenly gone.
“Even bigger than that though was just how unfair this was to Marilyn,” Holley said. “Marilyn had been looking forward to retiring and she had been robbed of this.”
Speakers said the woman was “a gentle soul” and private person who was loyal and never spoke badly about others.
“That she became a topic of national discussion was also upsetting. I hated that her privacy was gone,” Holley said.
The case drew national attention because Martinez, an undocumented immigrant, had been arrested but had not been taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody upon his release from Santa Barbara County Jail, before the attack on Pharis.
“I’m going to start by asking the question that Marilyn asked me: Why did he have to beat me?” Rosanne VanVoorhis, Marilyn Pharis’s sister, said during her statement.
“She would have probably let you take anything you wanted in her house without a fight. Because you attacked her, she fought with all her might.”
She added Martinez stole time Pharis would have spent with her extended family after her retirement.
“Marilyn said she would have to find a way to forgive you, but I’m not sure that I can ever do that,” VanVoorhis added.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.