A groom from the popular Netflix show, Love Is Blind, has been sentenced to 15 years in jail after attempting to murder his wife, who he met and married on the show. The couple had planned to re-marry offscreen in February 2025, but ultimately called the nuptials off.
Santiago Martínez, who appeared on the Argentinian edition of the show, was found guilty of attempted murder, repeated assault, and unlawful detention.
His ex-partner, Emily Ceco, who reported him for gender-based violence after he gave her a black eye, said her whole "body was shaking" when she had to face her abuser in court.
"I was terrified. During his statement, he apologised and said he still loved me," she said, according to a report from Reality Shrine.
Ceco added that she now has "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. 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."
Martínez posted on Instagram during the trial, denying that he had tried to kill Ceco. "The first thing I want to say is that I do not justify violence in any way, and I was the first to acknowledge my mistake and to apologise privately, and today I take responsibility for what I did. But that does not mean I take responsibility for trying to kill the woman I loved.
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"Criminal experts said in their reports that the injuries were minor, there was never in any danger of death, and she was always free to do whatever she wanted," he wrote. "I never exercised the manipulation and control they claim—that is a lie, and I know the truth will be proven. Now it’s time to stay silent and wait for justice to judge based on real evidence and not on a narrative."
After the sentencing, Ceco thanked her family for their support on Instagram, writing: "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.
"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 National Domestic Abuse Helpline is available 10AM - 10PM between Monday and Friday, you can call it on 0808 2000 247
