A contestant who appeared on a season of Love Is Blind: Argentina has been jailed for attempting to murder a connection he had met on the reality show.
Keep reading to learn more.
Santiago Martínez was convicted of attempted murder, repeated assault, and unlawful detention. He has been given a long prison sentence for the crimes committed against Emily Ceco.
When Martínez appeared on Netflix’s popular reality show Love Is Blind in 2024, he was 29 years old. On the show, he met Emily Ceco, who was 24. The two made it to the end of the show with a civil ceremony and were planning a small, private wedding ceremony for themselves when things dramatically shifted.
In February 2025, Ceco first reported Martínez for gender-based violence after she ended up with a black eye caused by him. The engagement was also canceled.
Later, she was able to obtain a restraining order in court against Martínez, which made it illegal for him to approach Ceco in public. Following this, he was also removed from the show.
Martínez was also sentenced to 15 years in prison following this on March 25, 2026. Prosectors had fought for 16 years. The defence made a plea deal, which was rejected, according to reports.
After the sentence, Ceco revealed that while she now had some ‘peace,’ she was still afraid of what would happen when Martínez was released from prison after completing his sentence.
“I have 15 years of peace ahead. I don’t know what will happen when he gets out, but I hope the justice system continues to protect me,” she hoped.
“If he tried to kill me when I gave him everything, I can’t imagine what he might do to me or my family after 15 years of anger,” Ceco said fearful of her future. She also went on to express her relief, “I can’t believe it. I feel it’s over, I’m finally going to have peace. Justice has been done.”
She took the stand in court, where she had previously had to encounter Martínez in person. She made an emotional statement, saying, “My whole body was shaking. I was terrified. During his statement, he apologised and said he still loved me.”
She narrated another thing which happened, “I didn’t respond, but my brother went too far and told him, ‘If you loved her so much, why did you almost kill her? You beat her up – coward.'”
After the sentence was handed out to Martínez, Ceco took to Instagram to make a statement. She wrote, “Sentence was announced yesterday. And I’m still trying to understand everything that moves inside me. It’s not just a closure… is to remove a story that marked me deeply.”
She went on, “There were days of so much fear, of feeling lost, of not knowing how to go on. And there was also something in me that, even in the darkest moments, chose not to give up. But I wasn’t alone. And that’s what I feel the strongest today.”
The Argentinian added a thanks, saying, “Thank you to my family, for holding me even when I couldn’t hold myself. Thank you to every person who wrote to me, who hugged me with words, who didn’t let go of me.
She wrote further, “Thanks to those who, without knowing me, chose to accompany me anyway. And especially, thank you to my attorneys, for walking through this process with me, for delivering, for patience, and for never giving up on me. This doesn’t erase the experience. But today I feel like a part of my story was heard.”
She ended by writing, “I… still healing, more aware, stronger, and deeply grateful. Today my life begins anew.”
This is such an emotional story. We are sending our best to Emily Ceco and her family. Share this with others as well to keep them in the know with the latest celebrity news.
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