ESPAÑOLA, N.M. (KRQE) – An Española lady in her 70s was raped and murdered, allegedly, by her own son — a person, his household says, ought to’ve been in jail after repeated arrests and violating restraining orders. Now, the household needs justice and to understand how the system failed.
“A girl who might at all times deliver a smile to your face.” That’s how the household remembers Cora Martinez.
“She was essentially the most sort, beneficiant, giving girl that you might discover,” mentioned Dennis Salazar, a nephew of Cora and son-in-law of her twin sister. “Introduced plenty of gentle to many individuals and brightened their day.”
Nonetheless, when it got here to her son, Erick Martinez, issues have been rocky. Martinez had a historical past of arrests over the previous 20 years with a number of felonies and DWI fees.
“A number of run-ins with the regulation prior to now, a lot of them was a violent nature,” mentioned Salazar. “He would present up at her home, sleep out within the entrance yard and he would demand to return inside.”
Final week, issues escalated when Española police say Martinez beat his mom to loss of life and sexually assaulted her at her dwelling. Cora’s twin sister Olivia, who’s blind, and her 5-year-old grandson — Martinez’s son who she legally adopted — have been in the home on the time. Relations say the little boy witnessed all the things.
“What I perceive is he was relentless, he stored hitting her full drive,” mentioned Salazar. “She was screaming to please cease.”
Cora’s household says she died someday within the evening as her sister and grandson waited in concern for Martinez to lastly depart the following day, as they didn’t have entry to a cellular phone. Ultimately, different members of the family checked in, noticed what occurred and referred to as 911.
Salazar says Martinez was repeatedly arrested and let again out on the streets, together with taking off his ankle screens, and Cora even had restraining orders towards her son, usually violated. They are saying the system failed her and extra ought to have been performed to maintain him off the streets so this wouldn’t have occurred within the first place.
“This was an absolute preventable loss of life,” mentioned Salazar. “It’s one thing that ought to not have occurred as a result of he ought to’ve stayed behind bars.”
Now, Cora’s household says it will likely be a protracted street ahead as they grieve and heal. Nonetheless, they don’t have any plans to cease till there’s justice for his or her beloved grandmother.
“All of us are going to do our half to make sure that he’s put behind bars and he doesn’t ever come out once more,” mentioned Salazar. “He pays for his crimes and we demand that full justice is served.”
Martinez has no less than 20 arrests on his document, together with breaking and coming into into his household’s dwelling, holding members of the family towards their will, stealing their automobiles, violating restraining orders and damaging their property. He was most just lately launched from jail on June 1, after he allegedly violated a restraining order. He was speculated to go to courtroom, in that case, the morning of the homicide.
KRQE Information 13 reached out to the District Legal professional’s Workplace in Rio Arriba County to seek out out extra about this case and why Martinez wasn’t stored behind bars. Deputy District Legal professional Haley Murphy issued the next assertion:
“The District Legal professional’s Workplace filed a movement to have the Defendant detained in January 2021 and twice argued that he needs to be held pending trial in his felony case after he violated his circumstances of launch. The Courtroom launched the Defendant all 3 times.
He was arrested twice this summer time for violating restraining orders that prohibited contact with Ms. Martinez. Sadly, these instances couldn’t be pursued throughout the required 60 day timeframe as a result of the sufferer wouldn’t comply with cooperate. This case is a mirrored image of the very actual hazard posed by these concerned within the cycle of home violence. Our workplace has been in touch with the household and will likely be in search of justice on behalf of Cora.”
Courtroom paperwork present they did attempt to hold him locked up again in February however have been denied and his legal professional fought to get him out.
Española’s Chief of Police, Roger Jimenez, issued the next assertion:
“Our detectives and officers labored tirelessly on this case and two of our detectives had labored twenty-four hours on a previous case after they obtained this name. We’re relieved and pleased we will supply the household any form of consolation throughout a traumatic occasion.
Our deepest condolences and prayers exit to the household. We are going to proceed to supply the household any assets and data we will throughout this investigation and till the case concludes.”
