TODAY RESULTING IN
MOST OF THE CHARGES
AGAINST HER BEING
DROPPED.
BUT WE )VE ALSO LEARNED A
SHOCKING NEW DETAIL --
THAT
(ANOTHER MAN , WHO IS
STILL OUT THERE WAS
INVOLVED IN VICTORIA )S
MURDER -- AND MOST OF
WHAT WE THOUGHT WE KNEW
ABOUT THIS CASE MAY NOT
BE TRUE.
NEWS 13 )S MADELINE
SCHMITT IS LIVE AT
DISTRICT COURT WITH THE
STORY.
MADELINE.
KIM,
WE GOT A LAST MINUTE
CALL THAT MICHELLE
MARTENS WOULD APPEAR
BEFORE JUDGE CHARLES
BROWN... IT WAS THEN
ANNOUNCED SHE HAD
REACHED A DEAL THAT
WOULD CUT HER SENTENCE
FROM POSSIBLE LIFE
TO AS LITTLE AS 12
YEARS.
1:15:22 guilty
MARTENS PLEAD GUILTY TO
JUST ONE OF 19 CHARGES
SHE FACED -- RECKLESS
CHILD ABUSE RESULTING
IN DEATH.
IN AUGUST OF 2016 --
A-P-D SAID MICHELLE
MARTENS, FABIAN GONZALES
AND JESSICA KELLEY
RAPED, MURDERED AND
DISMEMBERED 10-YEAR-OLD
VICTORIA MARTENS AT
MICHELLE )S WESTSIDE
APARTMENT.
VICTORIA )S BODY WAS
FOUND BURNED AND WRAPPED
IN A BLANKET.
AN AUTOPSY REVEALED SHE
HAD ALCOHOL IN HER
SYSTEM -- AND THAT
THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF
SEXUAL ASSAULT. BUT
TODAY IN COURT -- THE
D-A )S OFFICE ANNOUNCED
THAT THEIR
INVESTIGATION SHOWS A
VERY DIFFERENT TIMELINE
OF EVENTS FROM
THE ONE PRESENTED BY
APD.
THEY SAY IN THE HOURS
LEADING UP TO VICTORIA )S
DEATH -- MICHELLE
AND FABIAN WERE OUT
DOING DRUGS --
LEAVING VICTORIA WITH
JESSICA KELLEY, DESPITE
KNOWING KELLEY
WAS ALSO ON DRUGS AND
ACTING ERRATICALLY.
AND WHEN MICHELLE AND
FABIAN EVENTUALLY
ARRIVED TO THE
APARTMENT LATER THAT DAY
-- MICHELLE CLAIMS SHE
SAW JESSICA
CARRYING VICTORIA,
UNRESPONSIVE,
WRAPPED IN A BLANKET --
BUT DIDN )T DO ANYTHING
AND NEVER
CHECKED ON HER DAUGHTER
AFTER THAT. O-M-I SAYS
BY THAT POINT, VICTORIA
WAS DEAD.
...COURTROOM SOUND "She
negligently and without
justification caused her
to be tortured and
caused a substantial and
unjustifiable risk to
the safety and health of
victoria and as a
result, victoria was
murdered by
strangulation"...
AS PART OF THIS PLEA
DEAL TODAY -- MICHELLE
MARTENS AGREED THAT SHE
WILL TESTIFY AGAINST
FABIAN GONZALES AND
JESSICA KELLEY. SHE
FACES BETWEEN 12 AND 15
YEARS IN PRISON. THE
CHARGE SHE PLEAD
TO CARRIES UP TO 18
YEARS.
NOW YOU MAY REMEMBER --
THAT MICHELLE MARTENS
INITIALLY TOLD POLICE
SHE WAS THERE WHEN
VICTORIA WAS KILLED.
COMING UP AT 4:30 --
YOU )LL HEAR FROM HER
ATTORNEY -- WHO
EXPLAINS WHY
SHE SAID THAT... DESPITE
WHAT WE LEARNED IN COURT
TODAY.
KIM, BACK TO YOU.
OKAY THANKS MADELINE.
AFTER THAT PLEA DEAL
WITH MICHELLE MARTENS
WAS ANNOUNCED --
DISTRICT ATTORNEY RAUL
TORRES HELD A NEWS
CONFERENCE TO
EXPLAIN THE DECISION --
AND HE DROPPED A
BOMBSHELL.
THEY BELIEVE THERE WAS
ANOTHER MAN THERE WHEN
VICTORIA WAS KILLED.
WE CONTINUE OUR TEAM
COVERAGE WITH NEWS 13 )S
MARISSA LUCERO --
SHE )S LIVE DOWNTOWN AT
DISTRICT COURT.
KIM -- THIS IS SUCH AN
EMOTIONAL --
HIGH-PROFILE CASE. THE
D-A HAD A LONG PREPARED
STATEMENT READY --
DEFENDING THE
PLEA DEAL -- OUTLINING
WHY THEY DID IT -- AND
INTRODUCING A NEW
SHOCKING DETAIL --
THERE )S ANOTHER SUSPECT
OUT THERE.
"there is no physical
evidence linking fabian
gonzales to that
specific crime. and no
independent
forensic evidence that
michelle martens
knowingly permitted her
daughter to be sexually
assaulted on
that day -- or at any
other time.
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 AS
INITIAL INVESTIGATORS
THOUGHT.
HE SAID 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.
TORRES THEN ANNOUNCED A
HUGE TWIST IN THE CASE
-- TESTS SHOWED IT
WAS NOT FABIAN GONZALES )
DNA ON VICTORIA )S BODY
-- IT BELONGS TO AN
UNIDENTIFIED MAN.
14:36:23 given the
specific location of the
uknown male dna on her
body we have determined
that at least 1
unidentified man was
involve din this crime
and never apprehended
:34
TORRES ANNOUNCED TODAY
THAT MANY OF GONZALES )
CHARGES HAVE ALSO BEEN
DROPPED -- INCLUDING
MURDER AND RAPE. HE )S
STILL LOOKING AT
RECKLESS CHILD ABUSE
RESULTING IN DEATH AND
TAMPERING WITH EVIDENCE
-- AND UP TO 18 YEARS
BEHIND BARS.
INVESTIGATORS STILL
BELIEVE GONZALES TRIED
TO CLEAN UP THE
MURDER SCENE -- AND
HELPED DISMEMBER
VICTORIA BODY TO
DISPOSE OF IT.
TORRES DID NOT SAY IF
THEY HAVE A PLEA DEAL IN
THE WORKS WITH FABIAN
GONZALES.
HIS TRIAL IS SET FOR
MID-OCTOBER.
BACK TO YOU.
OKAY MARISSA.
THE D-A ESSENTIALLY SAID
THERE WERE MAJOR HOLES
AND MISTAKES IN THE CASE
A-P-D HANDED HIS OFFICE.
IN A STATEMENT FROM
A-P-D -- THE DEPARTMENT
SAYS ITS DETECTIVES
HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL
THIS YEAR IN UNRAVELING
THE MISLEADING
STATEMENTS MICHELLE
MARTENS MADE INITIALLY
TO POLICE IN HER
INTERVIEW.
AT THIS POINT JESSICA
KELLEY IS STILL FACING
ALL 23 COUNTS AGAINST
HER.
GONZALES AND MARTENS
HAVE ALWAYS POINTED THE
FINGER AT HER .
31:46 I tried my best to
protect Michelle and the
baby What happened then?
Why is there a girl
that )s dead? That )s
because Jessica Kelley
did it 31:56 .
KELLEY )S TRIAL IS
SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY.
AS WE MENTIONED --
MICHELLE MARTENS FACES
TWELVE TO FIFTEEN YEARS
UNDER HER PLEA DEAL.
SHE )LL BE SENTENCED
AFTER SHE TESTIFIES IN
THE OTHER TWO TRIALS.
STICK WITH NEWS 13 FOR
THE LATEST ON ALL THE
DEVELOPMENTS IN
THE VICTORIA MARTENS
MURDER CASE -- ON AIR
AND ONLINE AT KRQE DOT
COM.
A CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER