Did arrest warrant for murder in 2 year old's death lead to mass murder in Modesto? State of CA vs. Martin Martinez

Dr. Amanda Crews led a busy life.  She was a physician in Modesto and the mother of two young children.  When she left her 2 year old son Christopher in the care of boyfriend Martin "Marty" Martinez, she couldn't have imagined the child would be in danger.  After all, she was just going to pick up her daughter.  Before she left, she reportedly asked Martinez to change Christopher's diaper.  The date was September 30, 2014.  When Crews returned, Christopher had suffered a head injury and was rushed to the hospital where he died on October 2, 2014.

Martin Martinez gave police and doctors different accounts of how Christopher got the injury.  Although initially ruled an accidental death, Crews allegedly assisted Martinez in retaining attorney Steve Foley.  It must have been difficult for Dr. Crews to imagine Martin purposely harming her child.  But she was a doctor - she had to have had questions in the back of her mind that began to plague her.  Christopher's biological father Timothy Ridley always believed Martinez had more culpability in his son's death than he admitted.  He grew concerned about his young daughter being in her mother's home with Martinez.  Apparently CPS had their concerns as well, because he was forced to move out of the home while the death was investigated further.

As we have come to realize, the wheels of justice sometimes move slowly.  After the death of Christopher, Amanda Crews and Martin Martinez ended up having a daughter together - they named her Rachel.  It is impossible for anyone to predict was about to happen to this family but it's sure to haunt everyone who knew Dr. Crews and Martin Martinez and their friends and families.  

On July 18, 2015, police were called to the Nob Hill Court home of Dr. Crews to conduct a welfare check after she and her daughter failed to show up at a planned outing with friends.  The bodies of 5 people were found dead inside the home.  Among the victims:  38 year old Amanda Crews, 6 month old Rachel Martinez, 6 year old Elizabeth Crews, 57 year old Anna Brown Romero (Martin Martinez's mother) and Martinez's 5 year old niece Esmerelda.  Very few details about the time of death, the crime scene or evidence has been released by the police.  Through public court documents we can see that a knife was used in the commission of the murder of Amanda Crews and Anna Brown Romero.  The young children were likely easier to subdue - their cause of death has not been released.

I have so many questions about this mass murder.  Why did this happen?  What evidence do they have that Martinez is the killer?  If he is, how did he gain entry to the home, did he still have a key to the house?  Did Amanda Crews let him inside, despite the protective order for him to stay away?  How was one man able to subdue this many people, although only two were adults?  Did Martinez have one target in mind and the rest of the victims were witnesses he had to get rid of?  How could he kill his own 6 month old daughter and his own mother?  This is mind boggling.  Was Martinez aware he was about to be arrested and charged with the murder of Christopher?

A news article relating to this case says that Amanda Crews actually hired Steve Foley to represent the man who would eventually be charged with killing her and her children.  At a 2015 court hearing, Martinez and Foley filed paperwork with the court seeking to have Foley remain on as Martinez's attorney despite the fact he could no longer afford his services.  Don't most defendants end up claiming to be "indigent" once a case like this goes forward?  It's eerie that in the document arguing for Foley to remain as Martinez's attorney, one of the reasons argued is that Foley had already interviewed many witnesses in this case, "some of which are now deceased".  They are referring to Amanda Crews and perhaps Elizabeth Crews and Martinez's own mother.

It appears the court ruled against the request to retain Foley as his defense attorney.  Foley may very well be called as a witness when Martinez goes to trial and this would be a huge conflict of interest.  Instead, a public defender has been assigned to represent Martinez.  He will need a good attorney.  He is facing a total of 6 counts of first degree murder in addition to child abuse against Christopher Ridley.  Special circumstances involving the use of the knife and lying in wait for the 5 Nob Hill Court victims are outlined in the charging document. 

This is potentially a death penalty case.  The preliminary hearing is slated for August 21, 2017.  The state must have solid direct or a mountain of circumstantial evidence to have arrested him and brought the murder charges forward so quickly. 

Could the "Cold Justice" team get justice for Stacy Peterson?

As you may know, I am a huge fan of the reality TV show "Cold Justice".  In it's fourth season and now with Oxygen, former prosecutor Kelly Siegler teams up with seasoned detectives and travels across the country assisting law enforcement in smaller towns review their unsolved homicide cases.  They have had surprising results. Their work has helped to net many arrests, confessions and new information on some very old cases.  This is a great show.  There is a case that I'd LOVE to see them tackle; although it doesn't particularly fit their criteria because the case didn't occur in a small town with scare resources.  The case has been worked by many law enforcement agencies and I don't believe resources were an issue.  Nonetheless, why not try? The case I'm talking about is the disappearance (and presumed murder) of Stacy Peterson.

It's been a decade plus since the suspicious disappearance of former cop Drew Peterson's fourth wife Stacy.  Unfortunately she was most likely killed in the very home she shared with her killer husband Drew.  I find it most disturbing that this man has been able to escape justice in this particular case.  He nearly got away with the murder of 3rd wife Kathleen Savio, in fact if it had not been for the disappearance of Stacy, Savio's death may have remained an "accidental" death.

Drew Peterson is the obvious and only real suspect in Stacy's disappearance and probable murder.  Somehow he has been able to allude responsibility in this particular killing, more than likely drawing on his extensive experience in law enforcement to lessen the chances of the body being discovered.  The real question that needs to be answered is what did he do with her body?  It is widely believed that Stacy's body was placed in a large blue Rubbermaid type container.  Drew asked his half brother Thomas Morphey to help him move this container from upstairs of his home to his SUV.  Morphey immediately believed he had just helped move Stacy's body, however he did not go to the police right away.  Drew reportedly paid him several thousand dollars to assist him with this task, and Morphey allegedly had a drug abuse problem which Drew knew would make him a unlikely witness to the police.

Peterson had always claimed he could kill his wives and make it appear to be an accident.  He threatened Kathleen Savio with the claim and Stacy eventually figured out that Drew had killed Kathleen so when she showed signs of pulling away from him she became a potential witness and ceased being the wife he supposedly adored.  She simply knew too much and Peterson wasn't about to go to prison for killing Savio.  He believed he was above the law.  Having a second wife disappear within a short time of having your previous wife die a mysterious bathtub drowning death is very suspicious.  This shows that Drew believed he was smarter than his law enforcement colleagues and they may suspect there was a connection but he made certain they would have a hard time proving it.

Unfortunately we can strongly believe a person is responsible for a murder, but if they are careful and hide the body well and don't tell another single sole about what they have done - it's very possible for them to get away with murder.  Murderers usually get caught because they panic, they get sloppy and they are in such a hurry to get rid of the body and evidence that they choose the dump location poorly.  Peterson had been involved in law enforcement long enough to know what to do and what not to do.  He likely considered cell phone data and pings from both his and Stacy's cell phones.  He likely dumped the body at a time and location when the likelihood of him being seen was very small.  

I don't know the timeline in this case.  The day she disappeared, Stacy was supposed to help a friend paint a house.  Her last known phone call was around 10:25AM but she never made it to the friends home to paint.  Stacy's sister tried calling her repeatedly and the calls went to voicemail.  Stacy may have been dead by the time those calls went unanswered.  Her body may have remained in the home all day, with the kids there - hidden away in a closet or in that infamous blue Rubbermaid tub.  When Stacy was reported missing, Drew told anyone who would listen that she left him for a younger man, and she was probably sipping mai tai's on a beach somewhere in her bathing suit.  What a douche bag.

Stacy was particularly close to her sister Cassandra Cales, and to this day she has not given up on the search for her sister's remains.  What is it going to take to get the truth out of this sociopath Drew Peterson?  I believe he will take the secret of where Stacy's remains are to his grave.  I am not even certain if he was offered immunity and no additional prison time he would give up the information.  I'd much rather see him caught and prosecuted for murder.  What's it going to take?  Is there someone out there holding on to a terrible secret?  Would a reward with a meaningful amount of money persuade anyone with any knowledge to finally do the right thing?

Drew's prior wives were afraid of him.  His half brother is afraid of him.  Nobody should be afraid of Drew Peterson now.  His attempt to put a hit out on the prosecutor who got him convicted of murdering Savio was thwarted when an inmate sold him out.  I don't believe Peterson has the friends willing to do any type of violent favors for him any longer.  He's lost his power.  If somebody knows something, PLEASE contact the authorities.  It's time to end the suffering of Stacy's friends, family, children and the entire community.  Drew Peterson does not deserve protection or loyalty from anyone who may be harboring his evil secret.

I hope to one day see a headline that a grand jury has indicted him for Stacy's murder.  I just don't believe they have enough to do so at this point. Obviously she's not alive. She wouldn't be out of contact with her sister and would have never left her young children.  The thought that she ran off with another man is an insult that would only come out of the mouth of Drew.  He truly is the worst kind of monster.

There is another Drew Peterson special coming up on Investigation Discovery on August 25, 2017.  Will any new information be released?  Are the police still actively working on this cold case?  Could we lobby the Cold Justice team to get on this case?  I'd LOVE to see Kelly Siegler questioning Drew Peterson.  That would be something.

It is mind boggling when you hear about just how many men (and women) have murdered more than one spouse.  It's not always about money - with Drew Peterson it was a little of both; money and control.  He didn't want to lose half of his money to divorce with Savio, and he was quickly losing control of Stacy.  He simply couldn't let that happen, in addition to the fact that she knew he killed Savio.  In his mind, she had to die.

Another arrest for "Cold Justice" Team

Larry Leflore arrested

"Cold Justice" has assisted another police department in securing an arrest warrant on a cold case homicide.  The reality television show is in it's 4th season and continues to net results with the case profiled on the first show of this new season.

Larry Leflore was arrested in June of 2017 after a grand jury indicted him in the 1991 murder of his ex wife Mary Jane LeFlore.  Although he had been a suspect during the course of the original investigation, authorities did not believe they had enough evidence to secure a conviction and the case went cold.

From the outside, Mary Jane Leflore and Larry LeFlore appeared to be a typical married couple living in Huntsville Texas with their young son Brandon. Both of the LeFlores worked for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Mary Jane as a socialologist.  Friends say both were known to have had extra marital affairs during their marriage, and friends and collegues of Mary Jane reported seeing her come to work with clumps of hair missing and marks and bruises on her neck and body. 

Larry LeFlore was known to be jealous and controlling and this certainly caught the attention of law enforcement who would later investigate her disappearance and ultimately her murder. On July 19, 1991 Mary Jane LeFlore was last seen alive when she left work and was believed to be headed to a local mall for an appointment. When she failed to pick up her son as planned, Larry LeFlore says he drove to the mall to look for his wife - he claims that he saw Mary Jane in the passenger seat of a car exiting the mall parking lot.  Believing she may be having another affair, Larry told investigators he followed the car but he gave several versions of why the chase ended.  In one instance he claimed he lost the car he was following; in another he claims he was low on gas and had to stop the chase 

Whatever the reason for not following the car he claims his wife was in, he failed to even report her as missing until July 21, 1991.  The police were suspicious of Larry's story but had no evidence to dispute it and eventually the missing person case went cold until February 9, 1993 when a potential land buyer found a body in a rural area.  The badly decomposed body was soon positively  identified as Mary Jane LeFlore.  By the time the body was discovered, Larry  LeFlore had already filed for and was granted a divorce from Mary Jane and he collected life insurance proceeds from her death.

Larry LeFlore went on living his life while his wife's unsolved homicide went cold.  The arrival of the "Cold Justice" team was about to thaw out this cold case.  Former Harris County prosecutor Kelly Siegler and former homicide detectives Johnny Bonds and Steve Spingola rolled into town with a plan - to re-examine the details of this case with fresh eyes and perspective.  They planned to re interview all potential witnesses and people close to Mary Jane and Larry.  The scene where Mary Jane's body was discovered yielded no real clues as to the killer, although her cause of death points to it being a personal crime or a crime of passion.  By the time Mary Jane's body was found very little was left aside from skeletal remains which had been scattered, jewelry and few other personal effects.  Just because the killer did a good job of concealing the body does not mean he will get away with murder.

Larry Leflore will finally be made to answer for his crime.  He lived many years as a free man and I consider those years to be a gift - a gift he did not deserve if he is guilty of the crime for which he has been charged.  KUDOS to Kelly, Johnny, Steve and the local law enforcement team that is bringing him to justice!!

"Cold Justice" Episode 2 - What happened to photographer Morten Aigeltinger?

"Cold Justice Team" - Oxygen TV

Morten Aigeltinger

The second episode in Oxygen's "Cold Justice" series looks at the suspicious disappearance of well known local photographer Morten Aigeltinger.  Aigeltinger was by all accounts an accomplished photographer who was very passionate about his art.  He lived on a large farm property in West Virginia with his long time live in girlfriend and her mother.  For the life of me, I have not been able to locate the name of the girlfriend or her mother in any online article.

Morten was a well respected photographer originally from Norway who came to the United States approximately 30 years ago.  Now 56 years old, Morten settled into a quiet life on a farm in West Virginia while he continued to work as a photographer.  On September 9, 2015 he allegedly left his home early in the morning for a photo shoot he was scheduled to do - the location of the shoot was said to be less than an hour away, and law enforcement immediately became suspicious of this timeline provided by the girlfriend.

Morten never showed up at the photo shoot.  His girlfriend reported him missing to the police two days later on September 11, 2015.  Morten's truck was located on a river bank, abandoned and with windows down and unlocked.  It appeared as if he simply walked away from the vehicle.  There were no traces of blood or signs of a struggle in or around the truck.  Law enforcement brought in search dogs, cadaver dogs and scoured the riverbanks and the wooded areas beyond.  Helicopters were utilized - nothing was discovered despite the massive effort.

What happened to Morten?  In these types of "missing person" cases, the spouse or significant other is usually a good place to start the investigation.  After speaking with many of Morten's close friends, they discovered his relationship with the long term girlfriend was not as rosy as she had portrayed it to be to law enforcement.  One major point of contention was that Morten did not get along with his girlfriend's mother - and her extended stay at the house was a source of near constant tension between the two.  Secondly, Morten had recently discovered that his girlfriend had taken out 3-4 credit cards in his name without his permission and charged up somewhere in the range of $30,000 - $40,000.  Morten had contacted the credit card companies to report the fraud.  He confided in friends that he had not decided whether to press charges against the girlfriend which would essentially send her to jail, or pay the bill and end the relationship.

Either way, she was aware the end of the relationship was nearing.  Morten wanted her mother out of his home, and he was outraged at her betrayal with the identity theft.  There were text messages produced that showed that Morten's girlfriend was supposed to be driving her mother back to the New York area on a Monday - and Morten goes missing on that Wednesday? If you believe in coincidences, maybe this was a doozy of one.  I don't happen to think this was the case.  It was also rumored by Morten's close friends that his girlfriends mother had come after him with a knife in her hand.  When questioned about the incident by the Cold Justice team, she denied it outright and told them Morten tried to strike her!

When both mother and daughter/girlfriend were interviewed by Johnny Bonds during the Cold Justice team's visit, they were both fairly calm but very evasive in their answers.  Many facts the team knew to be true were repeatedly denied by these two ladies.  Case in fact:  the girlfriend denies she was due to drive her mother back to the New York area 2 days before Morten disappeared.  Her mother denied she had been living at Morten's home before he went missing.  She claims she only moved in after he disappeared.  The team knew this was a lie.

While there was little physical evidence found in the home and none in Morten's truck, blood evidence was found on a couch cushion and on clothes that had been through many wash cycles.  Unfortunately there were several peoples DNA profiles on each item so nothing could be definitively isolated.  This will more than likely end up to be a circumstantial case if enough evidence is uncovered to bring a suspect to trial.  Could the girlfriend's fear of prosecution for fraud and identify theft caused her to lash out and kill Morten?  Did the two women decide life on Morten's farm would be far better for them if he was not around?  It is truly a baffling set of circumstances.

The best evidence the team was able to uncover involves cell phone data.  What did the police ever do before cell phone data, security cameras and the like? The analysis of cellphone tower data showed that Morten's girlfriends cellphone pinged on a tower near where Morten's abandoned truck was discovered at approximately 1:30AM the morning of his disappearance.  Again, do you believe in coincidence?  She told the detectives who interviewed her that she never left the house the night before Morten went missing.  Well, her phone left the house!!  You can't argue evidence like that, especially when she essentially locked herself into the story of her going to bed and never leaving the house.  She says Morten left around 6AM the following morning and she never saw him again.  That makes her the last person to see him alive.  

Another telling sign that Morten didn't just take off and start a new life somewhere else:  his prized camera equipment was discovered in the corner of a dusty and dirty barn.  By all accounts, Morten NEVER would have left the equipment in such an environment.  This was how he made a living, but photography was more than a way to make a living to him.  He truly loved what he did.  His camera equipment was treated with the utmost care and respect.  His friends believe something must have happened to Morten for him to not show up for the photo shoot he missed that September morning.  Morten had money in the bank, he was living a comfortable life and had no known financial issues other than the large amount of credit card debt his girlfriend left him with.

At the end of the episode the evidence was presented to the DA to see if he believed there was enough to present to a grand jury.  Unfortunately, they want to see a little more evidence linking the primary suspect in this case.

Martin Martinez Murder Trial - Next Preliminary Hearing Set for August 21, 2017

No new information has been released following the pre trial felony hearing yesterday involving murder defendant Martin Martinez.  Martinez, who is accused of killing 5 people including his ex-girlfriend, her 6 year old daughter, his own mother, his niece and his 6 month old daughter in a Modesto home on or around July 18, 2015.

Among the deceased are Martinez's former girlfriend Dr. Amanda Crews and his 6 month old daughter with Crews named Rachel.  Law enforcement has been tight lipped about the circumstances surrounding the mass killing, although a review of court documents discloses that special circumstances involving the use of a knife against Crews and Martinez's mother are present.  It is not known when the actual killings took place or how Martinez was able to subdue this many victims, although 3 of the victims ranged in age from 6 months old to 6 years old.

There are many questions to be answered in this tragic and senseless story.  What drove Martinez over the edge to the point where he could (allegedly) kill this many people?  These were people who were close to him - at least at some point in his life.  What could his mother have done to have been included in this murderous rage?  How could he snuff the life out of his own 6 month old toddler?  Make no mistake, this is the type of story that haunts people in their nightmares.  A nightmare the families involved can never wake up from.

With information scarce on this case, we can only gleam bits and pieces of data from court documents listed on the Stanislaus County Court website.  The preliminary hearing should give us a look inside the details of the case and why law enforcement zeroed in on Martinez as apparently the one and only suspect in this case.  Martinez's family members voiced their shock and confusion around the allegations and arrest.  They do not see "Marty" as the type of man who could commit such extreme violence, particularly to family members.

The police must have some concrete or strong circumstantial evidence to have arrested Martinez in such short order.  Albeit, another arrest warrant had been issued the same day the bodies were discovered for another case in which Martinez is being charged with the murder of Dr. Amanda Crews 2 year old son Christopher Ripley.  Ripley was the son of Dr. Crews and her ex husband Timothy Ridley.  The 2 year old sustained a head injury while in the care of Martin Martinez that was initially ruled "accidental", however a neurologist later changed the finding to indicate he died from homicidal violence.

An arrest warrant had been issued for Martinez in the death of Christopher Ridley at the time of the mass murder in Modesto.  Martinez was apprehended in a San Jose mall when he came out of a movie theatre with his father.  He was taken into custody without incident and was extradited back to Stanislaus County where he has been held without bail.  

This story has touched many people in the Modesto area where Dr. Crews worked as a physician.  There was an outpouring of support for her family and her twin sister Kimberly and Amanda Crews ex husband Timothy Ridley who lost his two children to what appears to be a case of extreme domestic violence.  It's a tragedy all the way around.  In total, Martinez faces charges in the murders of 6 people in this family.  The trial will be painful, as the details of the deaths of so many young and innocent children are revealed.

According to the arresting document, Martin Martinez's last known address where he is believed to have lived after CPS filed an order to remove him from the Nob Hill Court residence he shared with Crews is directly across the street from where I currently reside.  

I will continue to post details as they become available.  Have a great weekend!

Preliminary hearing for Modesto man charged with killing 6 - Martin Martinez

Martin Martinez & Dr. Amanda Crews (People.com)

A preliminary hearing has been set for August 2, 2017 in the case of the State of CA vs. Martin Martinez.  Martinez, a 30 year old man accused of killing 5 people in a Nob Hill Court home in Modesto on July 18,2015.  Martinez is facing the death penalty if convicted of the multiple murders.

The family connections in this case are heartbreaking and a little hard to follow. The victims names and relationship to Martinez are as follows:

• Dr. Amanda Crews, ex-girlfriend (38 years old)
• Rachel, daughter of Amanda Crews and Martin Martinez (6 months old)
• Elizabeth, daughter of Amanda Crews (6 years old)
• Anna Brown Romero, mother of Martin Martinez (57 years old)
• Esmerelda Navarro, niece of Martin Martinez (5 years old

In a separate case, Martinez is facing charges for the death of Amanda Crews' 2 year old son Christopher Ripley who died from a head injury in October of 2014 while in the care of Martinez.  Initially ruled an accident, the manner of death was later changed to a homicide and police were said to be a few weeks away from issuing an arrest warrant at the time of the July 18 murders.  The timing has led to the speculation that the murders could have possibly been prevented had the police moved to arrest Martinez for Christopher Ripley's murder sooner.  

No motive has been stated for the multiple murders, however could this murder charge the event that triggered the violence?  This is a complicated story for sure.  Martinez has told several stories about how Christopher's head injury occurred. Employees at the day care center Christopher attended reportedly saw bruises on him on at least 2 occasions.

On July 18, 2015 Modesto police were called to Dr. Amanda Crews' Nob Hill Court home to perform a welfare check after she failed to show up for a scheduled lunch date with friends.  Following the discovery of the bodies, police began looking for Martin Martinez and he was eventually apprehended outside of a San Jose mall.  Crews' ex husband (and the father of Elizabeth, age 6 and Christoper, age 2) Tim Ripley is devastated that his entire family has been wiped out.  Ripley and Crews divorced approximately 2 years prior to the murders and Crews began dating Martinez.  Martinez's family in San Jose are having a difficult time reconciling what he is accused of doing.  They say they were unaware Crews and Martinez had broken up and claim he "loved his daughter" (Rachel, 6 months old).

Amanda Crews was a physician in Modesto working for Stanislaus County Health Services.  She enjoyed working with low income families and was well respected by her collegues and patients.  Martin Martinez was reportedly employed as a stock clerk with Stanislaus County Health Services.  Martinez had been living with Crews until Child Protective Services issued a protective order that forced him to move out following the death of 2 year old Christopher Ridley.  Martinez allegedly had been trying to persuade Crews to "sneak him" into the house to let him spend time with 6 month old daughter Rachel but Crews refused.

No information has been released on how Crews and the others were killed, however court documents on this case shows a knife was used in the killing of Amanda Crews and Anna Brown Romero and suggests Martinez was lying in wait in all of the killings.  This had to be a horrifying scene to discover and I can only imagine what the people inside that house went through as each of them were attacked.  For one man to kill 3 young and helpless little girls is unimaginable but he is also charged with killing his own mother.

The trial will be difficult for Crews' family to endure, particularly for her identical twin sister Kimberly Crews.  Crews has testified about physical disputes between her sister Amanda and Martinez.  She encouraged Amanda to contact the police to report the incident but she never did.  Amanda and Martin eventually reconciled and this led to a strained relationship between Amanda and Kimberly.

The prosecutors have filed a court document showing what type of evidence will be used to show aggravating circumstances if Martinez is convicted of murder:

• Testimony of friends and relatives who discovered the victims bodies
• Photographs and video of the victims in life
• Victim impact statements; including testimony of victims close friends and relatives
• The defendants lack of remorse at the crime scene
• Evidence of the defendants statements regarding the victims
• Violence used in the homicides
• Crime scene details showing advance planning and lack of remorse
• All trial evidence regarding premeditation and deliberation; multiple homicide and lying in wait

In addition the prosecution plans to call character witnesses to testify about child abuse and domestic violence. The question remains; what in the world could have caused Martinez to systematically kill 5 people in that Nob Hill Court home?  How could he kill the mother of his daughter, his own mother and the 6 month old daughter he claimed he loved?  I'll never understand what drives people to this extreme violence where murder becomes the solution to the problems in his life.  

There hasn't been a lot of information released about the crime scene, evidence or potential motive in this case.  Law enforcement believes the killings were domestic violence related.  I have so many questions about what happened here.  How did Martinez gain entry to the home?  Did he still have a house key or did Amanda let him in?  I would imagine one would feel relatively safe having 4 other people in the house with you, although 3 of those 4 were 6 years old and younger.

Martin Martinez will also have to face a jury in the case of the death of 2 year old Christopher Ridley.  Ridley was the son of Amanda Crews and her ex-husband Tim Ridley.  Christopher suffered a head injury while in the care of Martin Martinez in October of 2014 and later died from the injury. While his death was originally classified as an accident, the manner of death was later amended to homicide and a warrant was issued for the arrest of Martin Martinez.

While Martinez was not believed to have been aware of the pending arrest warrant, could he have found out he was about to be arrested and charged with Christopher's murder and become enraged by the thought?  It's so hard to understand how someone could kill that many people who were close to him.  How could you kill your helpless 6 month old daughter?  How could you kill your own mother and niece?  He must have been angry at someone in that house, and all bets are that Amanda Crews was the target of his fury.  Everyone else was just in his way and he decided to kill them all.

According to the Stanislaus County Court website, Martinez is due to appear at a preliminary hearing tomorrow (Aug 2) at 8:30AM.  Perhaps more details will emerge at the hearing - but there is no way these killings will ever make sense to me.  Martinez's family has said he did not suffer from any type of mental illness in the past, which leads us to believe this was pure rage.  

The killings have stunned the city of Modesto, where Dr. Amanda Crews was known and loved by many in the community.  Justice in this case will help the healing begin, but nothing will ever erase the horror Martinez left behind.