MOTHER... MICHELLE
MARTENS... AND HER
BOYFRIEND FABIAN
GONZALES WERE (NOT THERE
WHEN THE 10-YEAR-OLD WAS
RAPED AND MURDERED.
TWO YEARS AGO MARTENS
FACED 19 CHARGES IN HER
DAUGHTER )S
KILLING...
BUT IN A SURPRISE
HEARING TODAY, SHE PLED
GUILTY TO JUST ONE.
NEWS 13 )S LYSEE MITRI
WAS AT THAT HEARING.
SHE )S LIVE AT DISTRICT
COURT.
JESSICA... IN COURT
TODAY.. MARTENS PLED
GUILTY TO CHILD ABUSE...
RECKLESSLY CAUSED...
RESULTING IN DEATH THAT
MEANS... SHE ADMITTED
SHE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN
HER DAUGHTER WAS IN
DANGER WHEN SHE LEFT HER
WITH HER BOYFRIEND )S
COUSIN -- JESSICA
KELLEY.
1:07:22 So if I accept
this plea, you )re going
to be serving a term of
between 12 and 15 years
in the New
Mexico Department of
Corrections 1:07:28
THE JUDGE (DID ACCEPT
THAT PLEA TODAY... AS
THE PARENTS OF MICHELLE
MARTENS WATCHED IN
COURT.
PROSECUTORS LAID OUT
THEIR EVIDENCE TODAY
SAYING IT SHOWS
MARTENS KNEW HER
BOYFRIEND FABIAN
GONZALES )S COUSIN...
JESSICA
KELLEY HAD JUST GOTTEN
OUT OF PRISON AND HAD A
VIOLENT PAST.
BUT MARTENS STILL LET
KELLEY STAY AT HER
APARTMENT... AND EVEN
ASKED KELLEY TO PICK UP
10-YEAR-OLD VICTORIA
FROM THE BUS STOP AFTER
SCHOOL ON AUGUST
23RD, 20-16.
PROSECUTORS SAY MARTENS
GOT HOME HOURS LATER AND
SAW
KELLEY WAS HIGH ON
METH... BUT AGAIN LEFT
HER DAUGHTER
WITH KELLEY SO MARTENS
AND GONZALES COULD GO
GET MARIJUANA. WHILE
MARTENS AND GONZALES
WERE GONE THAT TIME...
PROSECUTORS
SAY KELLEY AND AT LEAST
ONE OTHER UKNOWN PERSON
RAPED AND
STRANGLED VICTORIA.
BUT THAT EVEN WHEN
MARTENS CAME HOME AND
SAW KELLEY CARRYING
VICTORIA --
UNRESPONSIVE, WRAPPED IN
A
BLANKET --
THE MOM NEVER CHECKED ON
HER DAUGHTER.
THE IDEA TWO YEARS AGO
THAT MARTENS WATCHED
VICTORIA )S
MURDER... CAME FROM HER
INTERVIEW WITH POLICE --
WHICH BOTH SIDES NOW SAY
JUST WASN )T TRUE.
( (01;05;04;12 It
became patently obvious
to us that this was a
statement made that had
many false
admissions to it,
1:05:11 simply because
she was trying to please
the people requesting
her. 1:05:15
she )s that way all her
life, it )s just her
nature :18
MARTENS WILL BE
SENTENCED AFTER THE
UPCOMING TRIALS FOR
GONZALES AND KELLEY.
SHE )S EXPECTED TO
TESTIFY IN THOSE.
MARTENS OWN TRIAL WAS
SUPPOSED TO TAKE PLACE
IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS.
BACK TO YOU.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY RAUL
TORRES HELD A NEWS
CONFERENCE RIGHT
AFTER THAT PLEA DEAL
TODAY.
HE OUTLINED WHY THEY DID
IT -- THE EVIDENCE
PROBLEMS IN THE
CASE -- AND REVEALED A
SHOCKING NEW DETAIL.
NEWS 13 )S MARISSA LUCERO
CONTINUES OUR TEAM
COVERAGE -- SHE )S
LIVE DOWNTOWN AT
DISTRICT COURT --
MARISSA.
JESS,
THE D-A DROPPED A
BOMBSHELL IN THE CASE
TODAY ... SAYING THERE
IS A
FOURTH SUSPECT IN THE
CASE.
SOMEONE WHO WAS THERE
WHEN VICTORIA WAS RAPED
AND MURDERED.
14:46:32DA Raul Torres"I
have today authorized
the filing of the
criminal information
against the
unidentified male whose
partial DNA profile was
recovered from Victoria
Martens ) body and who
remains at
large."14:46:42
THE D-A HAD A LONG
PREPARED STATEMENT READY
-- DEFENDING THE
PLEA DEAL -- EXPLAINING
WHY THEY DID IT -- AND
INTRODUCING THJAT NEW
NEW SHOCKING DETAIL.
TORRES SAID HE HAD A
TEAM REVIEW THE CASE
OVER THE PAST YEAR OR SO
--
WITH PROSECUTORS ...
A-P-D DETECTIVES AND NEW
EXPERTS -- THEY FOUND
THERE )S NO EVIDENCE
MARTENS AND GONZALES
WERE HOME WHEN
VICTORIA WAS RAPED AND
MURDERED IN THE EARLY
EVENING OF
AUGUST 23RD -- 20-16 --
COMPLETELY COUNTER TO
WHAT INVESTIGATORS
INITIALLLY THOUGHT.
THE D-A SAYS A LOT OF
WHAT WE THOUGHT ABOUT
THE CASE -- DIDN )T END
UP BEING TRUE.
HE WENT OVER A DETAILED
TIMELINE AND WITNESS
STATEMENTS FOR
THE HOUR VICTORIA WAS
KILLED .... CELLPHONE
PINGS THAT PLACE MARTENS
AND GONZALES ON THE
OTHER SIDE OF TOWN.
14:36:35Raul Torres"I
recognize that these
revelations are not
consistent with the
public )s perception
about what happened with
Victoria but I want to
share this information
with you in
order to help the
community
understand."14:36:48
D-A TORRES SAYS THAT
THEY STILL BELIEVE
MARTENS AND GONZALES ARE
GUILTY OF CHILD ABUSE --
FOR LEAVING VICTORIA IN
THE CARE OF
JESSICA KELLEY -- A
CONVICTED RAPIST AND
DRUG DEALER. BUT SAID
THEY ARE CONFIDENT THEY
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN
HER RAPE AND
MURDER.
AS FAR AS THE
UNIDENTIFIED SUSPECT IN
THE CASE --- TORRES
SAYS HIS OFFICE LEARNED
ABOUT THE NEW D-N-A LAST
SUMMER.
HE DID NOT SAY WHY IT
TOOK PROSECUTORS A YEAR
TO RELEASE
THAT NEW DETAIL.
BACK TO YOU
AT THE TIME OF THE
MURDER... PEOPLE WERE ON
EDGE...WORRIED IF
THERE WAS CHILD KILLER
ON THE LOOSE.
APD REASSURED THE
PUBLIC... THEY WERE
SAFE.
To the people that live
in that neighborhood,
let me assure you, your
neighborhood is safe.
there are no other
suspects in this case
13:16
MICHELLE MARTENS )
BOYFRIEND FABIAN
GONZALES IS STILL
ACCUSED OF EXPOSING
VICTORIA TO HIS COUSIN
JESSICA KELLEY -- A
CONVICTED RAPIST
AND DRUG DEALER --
LEADING TO HER DEATH.
AND HE )S STILL ACCUSED
OF DISMEMBERING THE
GIRL )S BODY TO HELP
COVER UP THE CRIME.
LET )S GET TO NEWS 13 )S
CHRIS MCKEE.
JESSICA...
GONZALES MET MICHELLE
MARTENS ON "PLENTY OF
FISH" DOT-COM.. A COUPLE
MONTHS BEFORE VICTORIA )S
MURDER...
BUT THEY WERE ALREADY
LIVING TOGETHER.
IN THE WEEK BEFORE THE
MURDER.. GONZALES
INVITED HIS COUSIN...
JESSICA KELLEY TO COME
LIVE WITH
THEM.. EVEN THOUGH SHE
HAD JUST GOTTEN OUT OF
PRISON.
Raul Torrez/Bernalillo
County DA 34:22 "That )s
the most obvious
component of child
abuse, is permitting
this child to be left in
a situation where she
was obviously in
danger." 34:32
THAT IDEA.. THAT
VICTORIA WAS KNOWINGLY
LEFT AT HER HOME WITH
JESSICA KELLY IS
ESSENTIALLY THE BASIS
NOW FOR THE CHARGES
FABIAN
GONZALES IS NOW FACING.
IN NEW COURT FILINGS...
PROSECUTORS DROPPED THE
RAPE AND MURDER CHARGES
AGAINST
GONZALES.
SO.. HE )S NOW FACING
CHILD ABUSE AND MULTIPLE
COUNTS OF
EVIDENCE TAMPERING.
INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE
GONZALES RETURNED TO THE
APARTMENT TO FIND
VICTORIA DEAD.. THEN
TRIED TO COVER UP THE
CRIME BY
DISMEMBERING VICTORIA.
GONZALES ) ATTORNEY TOM
CLARK COMMENDED THE D-A
FOR
DROPPING SOME OF THE
CHARGES IN THE CASE..
BUT HE SAYS THERE )S A
FIGHT NOW.. AS TO WHAT
FABIAN )S
RESPONSIBLE FOR... IF
ANYTHING.
Tom Clark/Attorney for
Fabian Gonzales 06:01
"Fabian )s not the dad,
he )s not her mom, he )s
not the dad, he )s not a
guardian, he )s not an
uncle, he has ... so
there )s going to be a
huge fight and this is
what
our trial is about now"
06:11
WE ALSO ASKED CLARK IS
THEY )RE DISCUSSING A
PLEA DEAL IN THE CASE..
BUT HE DIDN )T GIVE US AN
ANSWER.
GONZALES IS NOW SET TO
GO TO TRIAL.. IN
OCTOBER. BACK TO YOU
OKAY CHRIS.
AT NO POINT TODAY DID
THE D-A )S OFFICE GO INTO
ANY DETAIL ON HOW THEY
THINK
JESSICA KELLEY AND THIS
UNIDENTIFIED MAN
SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AND
MURDERED VICTORIA.
KELLEY )S TRIAL IS SET
FOR JANUARY.
THIS ISN )T THE FIRST