Bouncer charged with alleged murder after US Marine dies in St Patrick’s Day fight

Boston police arrested Alvaro Omar Larrama (39) of East Boston, after he turned himself on Monday in connection with the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Daniel Martinez of Illinois.

Police who had responded to a report of a stabbing on Union Street shortly before 7pm on Saturday found the victim with life-threatening injuries near the Sons of Boston bar.

He was taken to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Court documents said that Martinez died of a single stab wound to the right part of his chest.

The Suffolk District Attorney's Office said Martinez was a Marine and his military personnel file confirms he served from September 2017 through September 2021.

The district attorney's office Larrama worked as a bouncer at Sons of Boston.

According to court documents, surveillance video footage recovered from exterior cameras on Union Street corroborated witness accounts that Martinez and a friend had been attempting to gain entrance to Sons of Boston, where Larrama was working as a bouncer.

Investigators learned Larrama denied Martinez and his unidentified friend entrance to the bar, according to prosecutors.

Martinez and his friend “walked away and were subsequently pursued by Larrama,” officials said.

Video shows an altercation ensued, during which “Larrama’s head was hit with an aluminum beer bottle. The video then shows Larrama striking the victim in the chest.”

According to prosecutors, Larrama then entered Sons of Boston, where he could be seen “washing his hands, discarding his sweatshirt, and turning his shirt inside out.”

“He then left through a back exit,” officials said.

The stabbing came on the night before the return of South Boston's St Patrick's Day Parade, with many out on the streets celebrating.

A man who witnessed the aftermath of the stabbing told NBC10 Boston how bystanders tried to save the victim.

“With all the celebrations, somebody had fallen over. There was a bit of a fight or something like that but we saw the young lad, he was lying on the floor and everybody was doing CPR on him.

“There was maybe five or six people around him pushing on his chest and it looked like as they were pushing down on him, the blood was coming out of his back," said the man, who said he has been visiting Boston from London for the past 20 years.

"Somebody called for a nurse or a doctor from one of the other bars and they came out and told everyone to make a space around, then next thing all the paramedics came.”

Prosecutors said several witnesses, including some of Larrama’s co-workers, identified him,

Police issued a warrant for Larrama’s arrest and began searching for him on Saturday night before he turned himself in on Monday morning.

According to WBZ, Larrama’s attorney said he is a father of four who has had no criminal convictions in over 20 years.

Judge Steven Key ordered Larrama to return to court for a probable cause hearing on April 28.

Martinez spent four years in the Marines before he was discharged in September, WCVB reports.

The US Marine Corps confirmed to the news station Martinez attained the rank of sergeant and was deployed in 2019 with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

He was most recently stationed at Camp Pendleton in California, where he was assigned to the 3rd Assault Amphibious Battalion, 1st Marine Division.

“He was so adventurous. He was fearless. He was so courageous,” Martinez’s mother told WCVB.

“He didn’t fear going into the Marines. He didn’t care if he was dangerous or if he was going to be uncomfortable or hungry or tired, or all the things that Marines and other military branches have to go through. He was honorable. He just wanted to make a difference.”

During his time in the service, Martinez was awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, according to the news station.