A New York man has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term after being convicted of murdering his elderly neighbor with a hammer over a car dispute. Jonathan Melendez, aged 41, will spend at least 25 years to life in prison for the death of 88-year-old Rena Eves.

The tragic incident occurred in August 2023 at Eves’ home in Beaver Meadows Apartments on Eimicke Place, Watertown, a city situated approximately 70 miles north of Syracuse. Melendez was found guilty of second-degree murder, along with charges of assault, criminal possession of a weapon, and tampering with physical evidence.

According to court records, Melendez received additional sentences of up to seven years for weapon possession and four years for tampering with evidence, to be served consecutively with his murder sentence. The 25-year assault sentence will run concurrently.

Throughout his trial, Melendez chose to represent himself and consistently claimed he was innocent. Even during his sentencing hearing, he maintained this stance.

“For those who witnessed my trial, you saw that the hammer was planted. It wasn’t used in Rena’s murder,” Melendez stated, as reported by local CBS affiliate WWNY. “You saw that they removed blood from the crime scene. Why would they do that?”

On Aug. 27, 2023, Melendez beat the victim to death with a hammer and was arrested wearing two pairs of sweatpants — a cleaner pair over a pair covered in Eves’ blood — later that same day, prosecutors proved during trial.

In a 911 call placed by the defendant, he said the victim’s car had been stolen, a New York State Police investigator testified, according to a courtroom report from WWNY. Police, however, found the fob to Eves’ Honda Civic in Melendez’s pocket. Police then found the murder weapon in the trunk; the claw hammer was caked in blood and stuffed in a Walmart bag.

Jurors saw the hammer itself — along with a series of telltale text messages translated from Spanish between Melendez and his then-girlfriend sent before the slaying. In one text, the man said he had to “leave before doing something ugly,” to which the woman responded: “Don’t do anything to her.”

The defendant, for his part, reiterated that he and the victim had long been friends, noting he often stayed at her apartment.

“I didn’t kill Eves,” he told jurors during his opening statement, WWNY reported. “I loved and cared for her.”

As for the blood on his pants, Melendez said it got there when Eves cut her hand sometime before her death, according to WWNY.

Prosecutors also marshaled surveillance footage and dozens of other pieces of evidence to prove the killer’s culpability.

As for a motive, the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office argued Melendez killed his victim because she would not let him use her car.

During the trial, the defendant testified he discovered the deceased woman’s body but only called police several hours later because he fell asleep. He also said he suffers from drug-induced psychosis.

The victim’s family spoke at the convicted killer’s sentencing.

“Only a monster would be so heartless to a little old lady,” Eves’ granddaughter, Samantha Eves-Stewart, said in court before the sentence was issued, WWNY reported. Family members also reportedly told the judge that Melendez had repeatedly tried to call them, resulting in an order of protection for the family.

“It’s very clear to me that this community, or any community, is not safe with you around,” Judge David Renzi said to Melendez on Monday. “I am sentencing you to the maximum amount as requested by the DA and the victim’s family.”

State prison records show that Melendez is already serving almost 30 years in prison for rape and criminal contempt.