Pensacola, fl
New Mexico State Police said that his child was brutally murdered, and announced the arrest of three people for the crime, including the girl’s mother.
The little girl, Victoria Martens, just started fourth grade of elementary school and celebrated her 10th birthday in what police described as a “horrific” crime.
The police have identified the suspects in the murder of the girl: Victoria’s mother, Michael Martens, her mother’s lover, Fabian Gonzalez, and Gonzalez’s cousin, Jessica Kelly. According to the complaint, police officers arrived to discover two adults with minor injuries, and saw the three attempt to escape from the family’s apartment by jumping from a balcony.
Police say that when they entered the apartment, it was full of smoke and they discovered Victoria Martens’ body, partially wrapped in a burning blanket, in the bathtub. According to the complaint, the paramedics did not find the girl’s heart beating, her left leg was almost completely cut off, her arms were missing, and her death was announced at the scene.
The girl’s mother, Michelle Martens, told the police that she had given the girl a drug “methamphetamine” to “calm her down,” and that the mother’s lover, Fabian Gonzalez, had sex with the girl while Kelly saw them, according to the complaint. Martens told police that Gonzalez strangled her daughter to death after having sex with her. Gonzalez denied any involvement in her murder, and told police that it was his cousin, Kelly, who stabbed and severed the girl’s limbs.
Police said Kelly was recently released from prison, who was staying with Martens at the time of the murder. Both Kelly and Gonzalez had extensive criminal records and that the mother only had a traffic offense.
The court charged Martens with kidnapping and child abuse that led to death. Gonzalez faces the same charges in addition to the rape of a minor.
