A Port Arthur man has been sentenced to 80 years in federal prison for violations related to the murder of a Port Acres area woman.

Sabino Orlando Martinez was found guilty by a jury on April 27, 2017 of conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery, conspiracy to use and carry firearms during a crime of violence, and conspiracy to possess firearms during a drug trafficking crime. Martinez was sentenced to 960 months in federal prison on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone in relation to the shooting death of Allison Neil Clark.

Port Arthur Police Det. Mike Hebert, one of a number of officers who worked the case since Clark’s death on May 14, 2010.

“People talk about how justice is served. There is no justice in this case. There may be closure,” Hebert said. “It doesn’t bring her back. She’ll never see her daughters go to prom, watch their recitals or celebrate their birthdays.”

Hebert praised the young mothers family for showing dignity and character in “what had to be hell, absolute hell.”

PAPD Det. Herbert Otis, now retired after he broke his back while on the job, broke the case when he received the first tip that led to the arrests of the suspects. Assistant U.S. Attorney and prosecutor, Lesley Woods along with PAPD Det. Paul Arvizo and Hebert all worked to bring the case to justice.

According to information presented in court, beginning in 2001, Martinez and others started robbing women in the parking lots of stores and businesses in Port Arthur. Evidence showed the defendants committed the robberies for the purpose of supporting their crack cocaine habits. The robberies increased to almost daily between 2009 and 2011. During the investigation of these crimes, it was discovered that Martinez and his co-defendants were responsible for the May 14, 2010 death of Allison Neil Clark, of Port Arthur.

Clark, 24, and her then 3-year-old daughter were going to Walmart to buy diapers and a gift for a niece when she was shot while driving her Ford Excursion south on West Port Arthur Road on May 14, 2010.

She was able to bring her vehicle to a stop and put her hazard lights on before succumbing to her injuries. She was found by a passing motorist, who was also a neighbor of her parents, according to an archive story.

She had left her 1-year-old daughter at home with her husband, Josh Clark, according to archive information.

Once law enforcement officers became aware of Martinez’s co-defendant’s vehicle in the area, they were quickly able to focus on Martinez’s involvement, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Video surveillance from area businesses verified the vehicle’s presence in the area at the time of the shooting. Testimony at trial revealed that Martinez fired the shot that killed Clark. Martinez was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 4, 2016.

“Allison Neil Clark did not deserve to be executed in front of her child,” U.S. Attorney Alan R. Jackson said. “But because a group of dedicated investigators refused to give up on this case, Sabino Martinez will spend the rest of his life in a federal prison. We hope this sentencing will bring some sense of closure to this family, and remind our communities that we need to stand together against those who would desecrate them with drugs and the violence it encourages.”

Last year, Ozzie Nelson Ibarra, 40, was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison in connection with the murder and other federal charges.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

This case was investigated by the Port Arthur Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lesley Woods and Joseph R. Batte.