Nassau County

Ex-Boyfriend Arrested After Woman Found Stabbed to Death at Belmont Racetrack: Police

A woman's ex-boyfriend was charged with murder after she was found stabbed to death at the Belmont Racetrack, police and track workers said.

Security noticed a horse was loose and became alarmed early Sunday morning, Nassau County police said. Security officers entered a barn and found a woman who had been stabbed multiple times. 

The 51-year-old victim was brought by ambulance to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead, police said. Her identity hasn't been released. 

Jose Franco-Martinez, 53, was taken into custody at the racetrack and has been charged with second-degree murder, according to police. 

A Nassau County detective said the victim worked as a "hot walker," walking horses after training sessions. 

Workers at the track on Sunday told NBC New York that Franco-Martinez was the victim's ex-boyfriend. He had worked at the track until he moved to another state, they said.

An investigation is ongoing. 

Just a week earlier, Belmont was the site of the final race won by Justify as he clinched the Triple Crown

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