Homeless man admits to fatal beating of girlfriend

A homeless man who was allegedly caught on surveillance video fatally assaulting his girlfriend behind a shopping center in Shirley pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree manslaughter.

Oscar Morocho-Morocho, 31, accepted a plea agreement that will see him sentenced to 15 years in prison for the May 7 death of 34-year-old Ruth Marisel Para-Martinez.

The 25-minute video showed Morocho-Morocho repeatedly punching and kicking the victim shortly after 10:30 p.m., prosecutors said at the time of indictment.

During his plea hearing Monday, Morocho-Morocho admitted kicking Para-Martinez in the body and back during the attack behind Home Depot in Shirley, but he took exception to the suggestion that he struck her face with a closed fist.

"Just a slap," Morocho-Morocho told State Supreme Court Justice John Collins in Riverhead.

When asked by the judge a series of questions about his decision to plead guilty, Morocho-Morocho said, "I have nothing in my favor."

Para-Martinez, who also was homeless, was found dead at about 6 a.m. the following morning in the same location, police said in May. Morocho-Morocho placed a 911 call to report the death, police said.

Assistant Suffolk County District Attorney Scott Michael Romano said Para-Martinez suffered spinal and brain injuries that caused her death.

Morocho-Morocho was arrested four days after the assault in front of a car wash on Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens.

Collins advised Morocho-Morocho that he faces the possibility of deportation by federal officials after serving his sentence, which includes five years post-release supervision.

Morocho-Morocho was remanded to the county jail, where he has been held since his arrest. He will be sentenced Dec. 21.

Defense attorney Jason Bassett of Central Islip declined to comment.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.