Man Sentenced to 50 Years for Woman's Murder

UPDATE: This story was modified from its original version to include feedback from Martinez's attorney at 3 p.m. May 25.

A Temecula man was sentenced to 50 years in prison today for murdering a 20-year-old woman.

Jose Adan Martinez, 21, was convicted in April of first-degree murder, illegal possession of a handgun and causing great bodily injury, according to court records.

He killed Maria Semental, 20, on June 16, 2010, at her home in Temecula.

He pulled up in a car with several friends, went through the home's side gate, fired numerous shots through the woman's window and walked away "smirking,"

Martinez was no stranger to local law enforcement. He was a gang member and was arrested numerous times begining at age 15, .

The shooting came after a rift formed in their Temecula-based gang. A man living in Mexico took over leadership of the gang, and some of the younger members -- including Semental -- refused to follow his orders.

After the murder, Martinez, who had been on a three-day methamphetaine binge, was mumbling that we killed Semental as a warning, .

"It's a tragic case,'' Martinez's attorney, Robert Gazley, said today. "My client was abusing drugs at the time. Without that, this never would have happened.''

A at the in French Valley during the man's trial that another man could have pulled the trigger, though matched Martinez's gun.

"My client was strung out on the day of the shooting and several days before,'' Gazley said, adding that the shooting had nothing to do with bad blood or an insult. "The only influence on him was the meth. It was a senseless, motive-less crime.''

-- City News Service contributed to this report.