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Date of Birth: November
17, 1975
Defendant: Hispanic
Victim: DPS Officer
In July 1995, Martinez stole a
blue Monte Carlo in California and a license plate from another
California car.
Two days before the murder, he
showed a friend in Globe his revolver with black electrical tape wrapped
around the handle. Martinez had prior convictions for violent crimes,
was in violation of his probation, and did not want to go back to prison.
On August 15, 1995, several
drivers noticed Martinez because of his excessive speed on S.R. 87. One
couple passed him just after Officer Robert Martin had stopped him and
was approaching the stolen Monte Carlo. Martinez shot Officer Martin
four times and took his service revolver.
Due to Martinez's reckless, high-speed
driving while fleeing the scene, several other drivers took down the
Monte Carlo's license plate number.
Martinez fled to California,
where the police arrested him a day later and recovered the murder
weapon and Officer Martin's service revolver. After his arrest, Martinez
was overheard during a telephone call bragging to a friend-and laughing-that
he had killed a cop. Tests revealed that at least one of the bullets
that struck Officer Martin was fired from Martinez's tape-wrapped
revolver.
PROCEEDINGS
Presiding Judge: Honorable Jeffrey Hotham (trial);
Honorable Christopher M. Skelly (sentencing)
Prosecutor: Robert Shuns and Juan Martinez
Start of Trial: September 4, 1997
Verdict: September 26, 1997
Sentencing: August 18, 1998
Aggravating Circumstances
Prior Serious Offenses
Murder of a peace officer in the line of duty
Mitigating
Circumstances
Age of 19 years and 9 months at time of murder
Personality disorder
Family history
