Convicted Killer Acquitted in 1997 Murder of North Hollywood Mother and Son

A jury today acquitted a convicted killer of the 1997 stabbing deaths of a woman and her mentally impaired 23-year-old son in their North Hollywood home.

Prosecutors said the killings of Nancy Boehm and her son were drug- related, telling jurors that she was selling drugs out of her home in the 5700 block of Riverton Avenue.

According to the prosecution, Rafael Martinez came to buy drugs on the night of Sept. 21, 1997, and ended up slashing and stabbing the mother and son, and argued that DNA evidence linked him to the killings.

The jury, which began deliberations Friday, returned a verdict of not guilty on both counts late this afternoon, according to the court clerk.

Martinez, 42, was already serving time in state prison for a similar 2001 killing when he was charged in 2009 with murdering the Boehms.

Neither Deputy District Attorney Daniel Akemon, who prosecuted the case, nor Tom Burns of the Alternate Public Defender’s Office, who represented Martinez, could be immediately reached for comment.

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