Illegal Who Murdered Beloved Restaurant Owner Sentenced To Prison

An illegal immigrant will spend 20 years in prison after admitting to murdering a beloved Nashville restaurant owner. 

Ulises Martinez, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to second-degree murder after he slammed his truck into 42-year-old Matt Carney during an attempted robbery two years ago. The case drew national attention as President Donald Trump pointed to it as an example of a migrant crime wave during his 2024 presidential campaign.

The incident took place on June 19, 2024, outside of Smokin Thighs, a popular Nashville chicken restaurant owned and operated by Carney that began as a food truck. Carney was locking up his restaurant when he walked outside to find two men stealing tools from his truck. After Carney confronted them, the men, both illegal immigrants, rammed into Carney with their truck, throwing him onto the sidewalk, before taking off. 

Olivia Lehing, who witnessed the scene, said she was driving when she saw a truck send a body “into the air” and then drive “very fast” away from the scene

Carney died from injuries sustained during the incident several weeks later. Martinez was on the run for several weeks before he was arrested on July 18, hiding out in a Nashville motel. 

Smokin Thighs closed down in October 2024 after almost ten years in business. 

“Places like this do not just exist everywhere and in every neighborhood,” former Smokin Thighs manager Landon Allen told The Tennessean. “When he was taken from us, it all died with him.”

In addition to the murder charge, Martinez pleaded guilty to evidence tampering and two counts of theft. Martinez, who required an interpreter throughout the proceedings, is expected to be deported after serving the 20-year sentence. Carney’s widow reportedly supported the plea deal. 

Martinez’s immigration status was first reported by The Daily Wire, with ICE saying that he unlawfully entered the country at an unknown date and location. The other man in the vehicle with Martinez, 31-year-old Adrian Diaz-Aguirre, had previous criminal convictions and has been deported four times.

Just months before Carney’s murder, a Nashville judge let Martinez go free after he was accused of stealing a white van, a red truck, and tools from a white truck.

Nashville Judge Jim Todd dismissed all three charges during a preliminary hearing in March 2024, claiming police had failed to show probable cause. 

Trump discussed the incident during an August campaign rally in Montana. 

“Look at what’s happening to our cities. Our cities are being overrun,” Trump said. “On July 4th, a 42-year-old Nashville man died after he tried to stop an illegal alien from stealing tools out of his truck. The illegal alien did a number on this man that nobody could even believe. The police officers said [it was] one of the most vicious crimes they’ve ever seen.”