Police described the attack as random. Martinez, 35, who was newly engaged and worked for a tech company, was stabbed seven times in her face, neck and back.

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Following Friday’s hearing in D.C. Superior Court, her fiance, Daniel Hincapie, stopped at a restroom to splash water on his face. “It was a hard moment,” he said, hearing the details of the attack.

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Hincapie said while he was relieved that Crawford will be off the streets for decades, he said “it won’t bring Wendy back.”

“It’s a mixture of sadness and relief,” he said.

The attack gripped the nation’s capital, prompting safety concerns among runners, especially women who run alone. Hincapie and several of Martinez’s family and friends established the Wendy Martinez Legacy Project, a foundation that promotes safety for female runners and the role of women in technology.

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Martinez — who worked at Fiscal Note, a District-based management and technology firm — ran daily and had participated in six marathons. She had graduated from Georgetown University with a master of arts in Latin American studies in 2012 and earned an internship on Capitol Hill with Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.).

While Crawford, 23, admitted to the killing, there are still no answers as to why he attacked.

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The plea agreement was announced at a hearing where Judge Craig Iscoe had planned to interview Crawford to determine if he was competent to reject an insanity defense. Instead, Crawford decided to plead guilty.

Court records show Crawford had a history of mental illness and has used synthetic drugs that can cause delusions and deranged behavior.

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At Friday’s hearing, Eugene Ohm, Crawford’s public defender, reminded the judge his client had tested negative for PCP and K2 after his arrest. However, authorities did say he tested positive for cocaine.

If Crawford had been found guilty at trial, he would have faced life in prison without parole.

The attack occurred just before 8 p.m., before the sun had set when Martinez was out on her regular run. The busy, gentrified neighborhood was full of other joggers, dog walkers and people strolling to and from local restaurants just off Logan Circle.

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One witness told detectives the attacker was mumbling incoherently, authorities have said.

At a November court hearing, a homicide detective testified that DNA belonging to both Crawford and Martinez was found on a knife with a 5½-inch blade that witnesses say they saw the attacker discard as he was fleeing the scene.

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The detective testified that Crawford was arrested after several people who know him contacted authorities after seeing media reports that included surveillance video released by police of the person they believed was the attacker as part of an extended effort by D.C. police to locate Martinez’s killer.

Authorities determined Crawford cut himself during the attack and trailed blood for about six blocks. When Crawford was located, he had multiple bandages on his right hand. His blood matched the blood that was found near where Martinez was attacked.

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Crawford is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 13. The plea deal also calls for him to be on five years of supervised released after his 30-year sentence is completed.

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Before he accepted Crawford’s guilty plea Friday, Iscoe asked Crawford a series of questions, during which he admitted stealing a kitchen knife from a Giant supermarket just a few blocks from the attack. Iscoe’s questions were also a way for the judge to ensure Crawford understood the crime to which he was pleading guilty.

“Did you use that knife to repeatedly stab Ms. Martinez,” Iscoe asked.

“Yes,” Crawford answered in a strong, clear voice.

“Did you discard the knife and your sweater afterwards?” the judge asked.

“Yes,” he said.

“Were you acting in self-defense?” the judge asked.

“No,” he responded.

“Then how do you plead, guilty or not guilty?” the judge asked.

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“Guilty,” Crawford responded.

The plea agreement seemed to take some of Crawford’s family members by surprise. Two family members gasped and put their heads in their hands the judge read that Crawford was giving up his right to DNA testing as well as agreeing not to go to trial with an insanity defense. They stood up and walked out of the courtroom before the hearing ended. The defendant’s mother stayed.

Crawford’s attorney made two requests of the judge. Ohm asked that Crawford be sent to St. Elizabeths, the District’s psychiatric hospital, until he is sentenced. Ohm said he wanted to ensure Crawford maintained his medication and treatments and said he was concerned that would not happen at the jail. Iscoe denied the request.

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“Mr. Crawford is clearly competent and was quite focused. I don’t see any basis at this point to commit him to St. Elizabeths,” Iscoe said.

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Ohm then made an unusual petition, asking Iscoe to allow Crawford’s mother to step out of the audience and to spend about 30 seconds with her son. Ohm said Crawford’s mother had not seen her son since he was arrested.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Katie Earnest immediately opposed the meeting. “Ms. Martinez’s family will never have 30 seconds with their loved one,” she said. Iscoe, also citing the security concerns the marshals indicated to him such a meeting could pose, denied the request.