She fatally shot a man during a motel parking lot dispute. How a Boynton woman will pay.

WEST PALM BEACH — A judge has sentenced a 38-year-old Boynton Beach woman to 25 years in state prison in the September 2021 shooting death of a man outside a Greenacres-area motel.

Jessica Montanez pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of manslaughter with a firearm in the killing of 26-year-old Mariano J. Baca. During a plea hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 4, Circuit Judge Sarah Willis credited Montanez with three years and three days of time served in the county jail.

Montanez previously faced a charge of first-degree murder after Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office investigators alleged that she shot Baca as they and another man argued in the parking lot of Paul's Motel on Sept. 2, 2021.

Investigators said Baca was shot as he was retreating toward the motel, on the 5400 block of Lake Worth Road between Military Trail and Jog Road. Video surveillance footage showed the moment Montanez fired the fatal shot, according to sheriff's office records.

At the time of her arrest, Montanez told deputies that Baca and another man were arguing. She said she did not know what the dispute was about but alleged that Baca had threatened to shoot at her vehicle. She did not report seeing Baca with a weapon.

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The other man, whom deputies did not identify, told investigators the argument started when Baca approached him and told him to leave the property. The man said he had known Baca for several years, but had not spoken to him since an altercation that occurred between them a decade ago.

The man said Montanez intervened to try to stop the argument. He told investigators Baca was angry when he noticed Montanez holding a gun and became loud, but did not approach Montanez.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham . Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: She fatally shot a man during a motel parking lot dispute. How a Boynton woman will pay.