A Westchester man known for teaching astronomy to Bronx children was finally brought to justice Friday, more than 25 years after he raped and killed a 13-year-old girl — and used family DNA for the very first time to link him to the sick crime.

Joseph Martinez, aka “Jupiter Joe,” was convicted on two second-degree murder charges for the senseless slaying of Minerliz Soriano on Feb. 24, 1999.

He had enjoyed two decades of freedom before investigators cracked the case in 2021 using advanced DNA technology to link Martinez to semen extracted from the dead girl’s sweater.

Joseph Martinez, 53, was convicted Friday of the 1999 rape and murder of 13-year-old Minerliz Soriano. No Credit

“Bronx detectives and my ADAs never gave up in the quest to hold accountable the killer of this beautiful

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