Peninsula Woman Found Guilty in Violent Baseball Bat-Beating Murder of Neighbor

REDWOOD CITY, CA – A San Mateo woman was convicted Tuesday of second-degree murder for killing her neighbor last year with a baseball bat, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Brenda Martinez, 41, was inside 66-year-old Ellen Mackay's apartment in the first block of North Claremont Street on July 4, 2015, when the two had an argument, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.

Martinez became enraged and retrieved a baseball bat, then hit Mackay in the head numerous times, killing her, prosecutors said.

Martinez began to flee after the killing but then decided to turn herself in to San Mateo police. She went to the police station and told officers where they could find Mackay's body, prosecutors said.

Jurors deliberated for less than a day before returning the guilty verdict. The jury also convicted Martinez of using a deadly weapon.

Martinez will be back in court for sentencing on Sept. 22.Martinez's attorney Alex Bernstein could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday on the verdict.

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– By City News Service. Image via the San Mateo Police Department.