Canarsie Park carnage: Queens man convicted in grisly murder-for-insurance scheme

March 4, 2024 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

Cory Martin, a 36-year-old from Rosedale, Queens, was found guilty in federal court on Monday of dismembering a woman and attempting to collect life insurance.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the EDNY

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A 36-year-old from Queens was found guilty by a federal jury in Brooklyn on Monday on charges related to the murder and dismemberment of a woman in a scheme to collect life insurance benefits.

The verdict against Cory Martin, of Rosedale, includes murder for hire, murder-for-hire conspiracy, wire-fraud conspiracy, aggravated identity theft and fraudulent use of identification.

The prosecution was able to demonstrate that Martin, along with a co-conspirator, fraudulently obtained life insurance policies on the victim, Brandy Odom, who was engaged in commercial sex work under Martin’s direction. The co-conspirator testified that they had watched crime-related TV shows for tips on evading police detection and disposing of a body.

“It is fitting that Martin faces a mandatory sentence to spend the rest of his life in prison for this ghastly, cold-blooded crime that was motivated by greed and executed after extensive planning,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said.

“Martin saw the victim as a moneymaker, trafficking her for commercial sex, then after killing her with his bare hands, tossing out her slaughtered body parts like trash so he could profit from her death,” Peace continued. “Brandy Odom suffered an unthinkable death at the defendant’s hands, but her life mattered and I hope that this verdict holding the defendant responsible brings some measure of closure to her family.”

Martin’s conviction follows a two-week trial before District Judge Ann Donnelly, with sentencing set to mandate life imprisonment.

Martin and his accomplice were shown to have used Odom for financial gain, culminating in her murder and the attempt to profit from her death through insurance claims.

Evidence presented at trial included Martin’s search history for tools and methods to dismember Odom’s body and his subsequent efforts to dispose of her remains in Canarsie Park. His online activity after the crime further implicated him, as he looked for news about the discovery of Odom’s body. Attempts to claim the life insurance benefits after Odom’s murder were ultimately unsuccessful.