Thread: Illegal immigrant linked to multiple murders allegedly stole victims' jewelry, court

Illegal immigrant linked to multiple murders allegedly stole victims' jewelry, court docs say

14 hrs ago
By Ryan Gaydos | Fox News

An illegal immigrant linked to four murders in Nevada allegedly pawned jewelry that belonged to at least two of the victims, officials said.

Wilbur Martinez-Guzman, 19, was held on immigration charges Saturday after investigators linked him to the four killings in Carson City. He was expected to be formally charged in the murders on Thursday, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Martinez-Guzman, an El Salvador national, was charged with nine counts of burglary-related charges, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported Wednesday, citing court documents. Stolen items from the victims included an Elks ring with a blue stone that was engraved with one of the victims’ initials, two gold diamond rings, 16 silver rings, toe rings and turquoise rings, the newspaper reported.

He allegedly tried to pawn the items at a coin shop on different occasions.

Gerald David, 81, a former Reno rodeo boss, and his wife Sharon David, 80, were found dead last week in Reno. In Gardnerville, Connie Koontz, 56, was found dead Jan. 10 and Sophia Renken, 74, was found dead three days later. The killings all took place within a one week span.

Investigators searched a home associated with Martinez-Guzman Sunday, the Gazette-Journal reported.

Police believe Martinez-Guzman came to northern Nevada about a year ago, according to the newspaper.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/illegal-i...court-docs-say

Jan 24, 2019 Updated 4 hrs ago




CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — The Latest on the killings of four people in Nevada over the past two weeks (all times local):

2:55 p.m.

A judge has set bail at $500,000 for a 19-year-old from El Salvador accused of possessing weapons and pawning property stolen from victims in four northern Nevada killings.

A prosecutor in Carson City characterized the case against Wilber Martinez-Guzman on Thursday as "not your run-of-the-mill property crime." Melanie Brantingham noted that most of the items Martinez-Guzman is accused of possessing and selling belonged to homicide victims.

Martinez-Guzman wasn't charged with murder and wasn't asked to enter a plea at his initial court appearance following his arrest last Saturday.

Prosecutors in Douglas and Washoe counties say they plan to file murder charges against Martinez-Guzman in the coming days.

Judge Thomas Armstrong set another court hearing Feb. 8 to determine if the Carson City case should proceed to trial on felony and misdemeanor burglary, stolen property and other charges.

Martinez-Guzman also faces felony allegations that because he's in the U.S. illegally he was prohibited from having 12 guns stolen from a Reno couple found dead Jan. 16.

————

2:25 p.m.

A judge is reading aloud each of the 36 charges against a 19-year-old from El Salvador accused of possessing weapons and pawning property stolen from victims of four killings in northern Nevada in the last two weeks.

Wilber Martinez-Guzman is answering "yes" in Spanish as Justice of the Peace Thomas Armstrong asks if he understands each charge.

Martinez-Guzman earlier corrected the spelling of his first name as Wilber with an "e''.

Martinez-Guzman isn't being charged with murder at his initial court appearance on Thursday.

Prosecutors in Douglas and Washoe counties say they plan to file murder charges against Martinez-Guzman in coming days.

In Carson City, he faces felony and misdemeanor charges that he possessed and pawned stolen property.

He also faces felony allegations that because he's in the U.S. illegally he was prohibited from having 12 guns stolen from a Reno couple found dead Jan. 16.

————

2:15 p.m.

A 19-year-old from El Salvador suspected of killing four people in northern Nevada is facing a Carson City judge in a case alleging he possessed weapons and pawned property stolen from victims.

With a Spanish-language interpreter, Wilber Martinez-Guzman corrected the spelling of his first name as Wilber with an "e''.

It is listed charging documents as Wilbur, but authorities have said it was listed on his passport as Wilber.

Martinez-Guzman isn't being charged with murder at his initial court appearance Thursday.

Prosecutors in Douglas and Washoe counties say they plan to file murder charges against Martinez-Guzman in coming days.

In Carson City, he faces felony and misdemeanor charges that he possessed and pawned stolen property.

He also faces felony allegations that because he's in the U.S. illegally, he was prohibited from having 12 guns stolen from a Reno couple found dead Jan. 16.

————

12:30 p.m.

Prosecutors in Nevada have added 24 felony weapon charges to a criminal case alleging that a 19-year-old from El Salvador suspected of killing four people possessed and pawned property stolen from three of the victims.

A criminal complaint filed just hours ahead of Wilbur Martinez-Guzman's initial court appearance in Carson City doesn't charge him with murder.

It focuses instead on possession and sale of stolen property and alleges that because he is in the U.S. illegally he was prohibited from having 12 guns stolen from a Reno couple found dead Jan. 16.

In addition to jewelry stolen from two victims, Martinez-Guzman is accused of possessing a stolen computer, golf clubs and hand and power tools.

Prosecutors in Douglas and Washoe counties, where the slaying victims lived, say they plan to file murder charges against Martinez-Guzman in the coming days.

————

11:05 a.m.

A pawn shop owner says a suspect in the killings of four people in northern Nevada used his passport for identification to sell jewelry believed to be stolen from two of the victims.

Northern Nevada Coin owner Allen Rowe said Thursday that 19-year-old Wilbur Martinez-Guzman didn't speak English well, but nothing made store employees think the sales were odd or weird. Authorities have said Martinez-Guzman is from El Salvador and was in the United States illegally.

Rowe says routine paperwork that goes to local sheriffs, along with store video led investigators to arrest Martinez-Guzman last weekend.

Court documents filed ahead of Martinez-Guzman's first court appearance on Thursday in Carson City allege that he sold rings belonging to a woman found dead Jan. 10 and a man found dead Jan. 16.

————

10 p.m.

Neighbors are nervous in northern Nevada, where four people were killed this month in slayings that officials blame on a 19-year-old from El Salvador said to be in the U.S. illegally.

Authorities in Nevada and President Donald Trump in Washington are blaming the four killings over a six-day span on Wilbur Ernesto Martinez-Guzman, who was arrested Saturday in Carson City.

On Thursday, Martinez-Guzman is due in a Carson City court on property crime charges alleging he sold victims' property at pawn shops.

Prosecutors in Douglas and Washoe counties, where the victims lived, say they're preparing to file murder charges in coming days.

The victims' neighbors have boosted security around their homes with new alarms, floodlights and cameras.

https://www.bdtonline.com/news/the-l...555a5fc99.html

Just another sociopath illegal alien, one of millions we've allowed into our country f or decades.

Video of coin deal/pawn broker at link.
Bail, new court date set for Wilbur Martinez-Guzman, suspect in Reno, Gardnerville murders

Sam Gross, Marcella Corona and Siobhan McAndrew,
Reno Gazette Journal
Published 10:57 a.m. PT Jan. 24, 2019 | Updated 5:01 p.m. PT Jan. 24, 2019

This is a developing story and is being updated.

The man suspected of murdering four people in Gardnerville and Reno was arraigned on 36 counts Thursday afternoon in a Carson City courtroom.

Judge Tom Armstrong read the charges so far leveled against Wilbur Martinez-Guzman, all of which consisted of felony weapons charges, burglary charges, possession of stolen items and immigration charges.

Formal murder charges have yet to be filed but are expected in the coming days.

Martinez-Guzman, who was 19 at the time of the alleged crimes, was led into the courtroom in shackles by a number of officers. He was wearing a black and white striped uniform and glanced at the crowded courtroom as he was led to the defendants stand.

A flurry of clicks from cameras were heard throughout the courtroom.

“Go ahead and have a seat, we’re going to be here a while,” the judge told Martinez-Guzman after he was sworn in. As he sat, he glanced back at several reporters sitting in the courtroom behind him.

Armstrong then read each charge one by one, a process that took more than 20 minutes.

As the charges were read, an interpreter next to Martinez-Guzman hurriedly translated what Armstrong was saying into Spanish.

According to the charges, Martinez-Guzman allegedly attempted to pawn or was found in possession of an Elks ring, multiple firearms and other items that belonged to Sherri and Jerry David, who were found murdered inside their South Reno home on Jan. 16. He was also found with belt buckles that bore the slain couple’s names, according to the judge.

He was also found with an Apple Watch and Apple computer that belonged to Connie Koontz, who was found murdered inside her Gardnerville Ranchos home on Jan. 10.

None of the charges referenced stolen items from Sophia Renken, a fourth murder authorities have attributed to Martinez-Guzman. Renken was found inside her Gardnerville Ranchos home on Jan. 13.
Martinez-Guzman is due back in court at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 8. His bail has been set at $500,000.

Armstrong said it was unlikely Martinez-Guzman would be able to post bail, given his lack of family in the area and undocumented status.

Carson City Deputy District Attorney Melanie Brantingham told reporters after the arraignment that the property charges will stay separate from any impending murder charges filed in Washoe or Douglas counties.
Those charges have yet to be filed and a venue for the trial will be decided by the jurisdictions the crimes were committed in.

Brantingham added that some of the stolen property was found inside Martinez-Guzman's car when he was arrested in the Carson Mall parking lot on the afternoon of Jan. 19.

The stolen firearms were found on a remote property on Sedge Road in Carson City. She could give no details about where those guns were found on that property.

Martinez-Guzman's public defender, Karin Kreizenbeck, had no comment after the arraignment.

WATCH LIVE: First court appearance for suspect in 4 Northern Nevada murders

Update, 1:50 p.m.

Wilbur Martinez-Guzman, suspected of murdering four people inside their homes in Washoe and Douglas counties, makes his first appearance in a Carson City court.
Martinez-Guzman is among multiple cases scheduled to be heard by Judge Tom Armstrong starting at 1:30 p.m., so the exact timing of his appearance is unclear.

The live stream, provided by KOLO-TV, will be posted to this page as soon as his court appearance begins.

Updated criminal complaint: Suspect faces 24 new gun charges

Update, 1:00 p.m.

An updated criminal complaint filed by the Carson City District Attorney's Office Thursday added an additional 24 felony gun charges to a complaint that included multiple charges for burglary and possession of stolen items.
The additional charges came hours before Wilbur Martinez-Guzman will make his first appearance before a judge in Carson City Thursday afternoon.

Listed in the charges include possession of guns owned by Reno couple Jerry and Sherri David, who were found shot to death at home on Jan. 16.

Friend of Martinez-Guzman: 'I never imagined this would happen'

Update, 12:30 pm

A Carson City woman who was friends with Wilbur Martinez-Guzman told the Reno Gazette Journal that the man who would sleep on her couch, help her around the house and bring her children cookies could ever be a suspected killer.

“I never imagined this would happen,” Mendoza said in Spanish. “God has taught me a valuable life lesson. I thank God because I learned something new: not to trust just any person and not to let anyone into the house.”

Background on Martinez-Guzman and the murders

Martinez-Guzman, who was 19 when he allegedly committed the crimes, is suspected of killing Connie Koontz, 56, on Jan. 10, and Sophia Renken, 74, on Jan. 13 in the Gardnerville Ranchos area of Douglas County.

Booking photo of Wilbur Martinez-Guzman (Photo: Carson City Sheriff)

He is also thought to be responsible for the murders of Jerry David, 81, and his wife Sherri, 80, inside their South Reno home on La Guardia Lane. Their bodies were found on Wednesday, Jan. 16.
Where is he?

Martinez-Guzman has been held in a Carson City jail since Saturday Jan. 19 following his arrest on charges related to burglary and possession of stolen property, and charges related to his immigration status.
What are the charges against him?

The District Attorney's offices in Douglas and Washoe counties have yet to file formal murder charges, but law enforcement has expressed confidence he is their only suspect.

A criminal complaint filed by the Carson City District Attorney's Office Wednesday evening alleged Martinez-Guzman allegedly pawned stolen jewelry that belonged to at least two of the murder victims.
Martinez-Guzman was charged with a total of nine counts of burglary-related charges, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday at the Carson City Justice Court.

Details about the stolen property

The complaint showed Martinez-Guzman faces three counts of burglary; one count of possession of stolen property worth $650 to $3,500; two counts of possession of stolen property worth less than $650 (a misdemeanor); and three counts of false pretenses to obtain less than $650.

He allegedly pawned the jewelry at a coin shop on North Carson Street on separate occasions. The stolen items included an Elks ring with a blue stone that was engraved with David's initials, the complaint said.
That also included two gold diamond rings and 16 silver rings, toe rings and turquoise rings, all of which belonged to Koontz.

https://www.rgj.com/story/news/crime...ay/2667988002/

Carson City woman speaks about her friendship with murder suspect Wilbur Martinez-Guzman

Marcella Corona, Reno Gazette Journal
Published 12:16 p.m. PT Jan. 24, 2019 | Updated 1:05 p.m. PT Jan. 24, 2019

Wilbur Ernesto Martinez-Guzman was not the man Claudia Mendoza thought he was.

She knew him as the man who offered to do work around the house, brought her children cookies and occasionally slept on her couch.

But he is also the man who was arrested in connection to the deaths of four people, all shot and killed inside their homes within a span of a week in two Northern Nevada counties.

“I never imagined this would happen,” Mendoza said in Spanish. “God has taught me a valuable life lesson. I thank God because I learned something new: not to trust just any person and not to let anyone into the house.”

Martinez-Guzman, 19, was arrested Saturday in Carson City. In the country illegally from El Salvador, Martinez-Guzman is being held without bail on an immigration hold and faces charges related to burglary and possession of stolen property.

Investigators said they are confident he is the only suspect in four murders.

"At this point, we’re waiting for the murder charges to be filed, and we’ll release additional information at that time," Washoe County Sheriff's spokesman Bob Harmon said on Wednesday.

On Jan. 10, Connie Koontz, 56, was found dead inside her home in Gardnerville Ranchos. Three days later, Sophia Renken, 74, was found dead in her home on Dresslerville Road about a mile away.

Then on Jan. 16, Jerry and Sherri David, ages 81 and 80, were found in their home on La Guardia Lane in South Reno.


Booking photo of Wilbur Martinez-Guzman (Photo: Carson City Sheriff)

Behind the curtain

Mendoza said she met Martinez-Guzman through mutual friends. He attended her 26th birthday party in August last year.

“He brought me a stuffed bear,” Mendoza said. “Everyone was surprised because it wasn’t like him to attend parties.”

The two became friends, and he started showing up at her home, she said.

“He was never violent or aggressive,” Mendoza said. “He was very respectful.”

Martinez-Guzman lived a few blocks away at an apartment complex on Menlo Drive, which authorities searched over the weekend. Mendoza said he lived with his mother and sister.
“I never thought he was suspicious,” she said. “I never met any of his friends. He was always alone, and he never talked about his personal life. He was very reserved.”

Mendoza said he would lecture her about how she should treat her own children, recalling a conversation in which she told him she couldn’t afford to buy them Christmas gifts. He told her that her children have to learn to accept what she could give them.

“‘How can you give them more when you don’t even have enough for yourself?’” Mendoza said he told her.

As a child, Martinez-Guzman grew up working on a field and would often milk the cows, Mendoza said.

Mendoza said he told her that he "was taught to be a man" and that he would get beaten if he asked for a toy.

"‘If I wanted to wear shoes, I had to work for them,’” Mendoza said Martinez-Guzman told her. “He wouldn’t really talk about his life, but there were moments when it seemed like he wanted to talk about it and get it off his chest.”

Mendoza said that’s why she felt so surprised when she learned he was a suspect in the recent murders.

“I’m in shock, honestly,” she said. “Everyone who knows him, they’re all in shock because we weren’t expecting this. Even now, I still can’t believe that this happening."

Mendoza said she met his mother, but never kept in contact. She said she worried for her.

“I pray to God that this is all a misunderstanding,” Mendoza said.

‘What did he do?’

Mendoza, a single mother of three, was with her children when law enforcement officers arrived Saturday evening to search her home on Woodside Drive.

She had received a call from a neighbor, who told her that her 16-year-old niece had been arrested next-door.

“I didn’t even get a chance to open the door,” Mendoza said. “I thank God that I didn’t open the door because I didn’t know the police were outside. They probably would have thought I was trying to flee or something.”

Instead, Mendoza said she received a phone call from investigators, who told her to come out with her hands up.

“They told me not to make any sudden moves,” she said. “So, I stepped outside. What was I supposed to do?”

Mendoza said she remembered seeing her neighbors watching her, some of whom had their cellphones out and were recording her arrest. Several neighbors described seeing armed SWAT members swarm the home. Others said they saw Mendoza walk outside with her children following at her heels.

“I came out with my slippers on,” Mendoza said, adding all her children were barefoot.

Her 2-year-old son walked outside wearing nothing but a diaper. She said he kept telling her that he was cold.

“He wanted me to hold him,” Mendoza said. “I told my daughter to hug him because I was in handcuffs.

“My middle son was sick,” she said. “I took my slippers off and I told him to put them on. I overhead one officer say that it seemed like I was a good mother. I don’t know who said it because I kept my head down.”

Mendoza said she felt afraid for herself and her children. At that time, she didn’t know that Martinez-Guzman had been arrested in a parking lot at the Carson Mall for his alleged involvement in the recent murders.

“I kept thinking, ‘What did I do?’” Mendoza said. “‘What did he do?’”

Lasting scars

Mendoza said her arrest impacted her children. Her 8-year-old daughter has nightmares, she said.

“Last night was the first night she slept here, and she cried,” Mendoza said Tuesday, adding she was told to leave until police were done searching her home.

“She said she was afraid the police would come back and take me away," she said of her daughter.

Mendoza said has also seen her youngest son play with a toy gun.

“Before, he would just carry it around,” she said. “Now, he’ll point the gun at his brother and tell him, ‘Put your hands in the air or I’ll kill you.'”

Mendoza said her daughter often asked her about Martinez-Guzman, whom she nicknamed “Guerro.”

Northern Nevada law enforcement share news of Wilbur Martinez-Guzman's arrest in connection to four murders. Benjamin Spillman, bspillman@rgj.com

“She keeps asking me questions,” Mendoza said, adding she doesn't know how to answer her.

Mendoza said she's still shaken up.

“Every time someone knocks on my door, I wonder who it is," she said.

On Tuesday, Mendoza spent the day cleaning her disheveled home after the police had searched it. Shoes, toys and clothing all lined the staircase. The paintings above her living room couch were askew, and her bare Christmas tree was left leaning against the wall.

Mendoza said a few sweaters were missing, along with some of her daughter’s jewelry. Even her ex-boyfriend's clothing was taken from her closet, she said.

Mendoza said she believes investigators took the clothing thinking it belonged to Martinez-Guzman. But she and Martinez-Guzman were never romantically involved, she said.

“It was a mistake to let him in, but if I had known that this would happened, I wouldn’t have let him into my home,” Mendoza said of Martinez-Guzman. “Nobody knew this was going to happen.”

https://www.rgj.com/story/news/crime...an/2659094002/

Videos at link
What we know about Wilbur Martinez-Guzman, held in connection with four Nevada homicides

Siobhan McAndrew, Reno Gazette Journal
Published 3:57 p.m. PT Jan. 21, 2019 | Updated 4:12 p.m. PT Jan. 21, 2019

Northern Nevada law enforcement share news of Wilbur Martinez-Guzman's arrest in connection to four murders. Benjamin Spillman, bspillman@rgj.com (Video at link)

Wilbur Ernesto Martinez-Guzman, the 19-year-old who was taken into custody on Jan. 19 in connection with the murders of four people, is scheduled for his first court appearance.

According to the Carson City Sheriff's Department, Martinez-Guzman is scheduled in Carson City Justice Court at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
Police have released little information about Martinez-Guzman.
He is being held without bail on an immigration hold, two counts of burglary, possession of stolen property and for obtaining money under false pretenses.

While he has not been charged with the murder of two people in Douglas County and a couple in South Reno, police said they are confident Martinez-Guzman is the only suspect in the four murders.


Booking photo of Wilbur Martinez-Guzman (Photo: Carson City Sheriff)

Connie Koontz, 56, was found dead inside her home in Gardnerville Ranchos on Jan. 10. On Jan. 13, Sophia Renken, 74, was found dead in her home about a mile away.

Jerry David, 81, and his wife Sherri, 80, were found in their South Reno home on La Guardia Lane on Jan. 16. Both died from gunshot wounds.

“We felt it was important for the public to know that we are confident we have the person responsible for the La Guardia Lane homicides as well as the homicides in Douglas County,” Washoe Sheriff Darin Balaam said at a press conference Sunday. “The information we have now indicates there are no outstanding suspects at this time, but the investigation is still ongoing.”

Read more: Friends say slain Reno couple were former Reno Rodeo president, wife
More: Wilbur Martinez- Guzman held in connection to Reno, Douglas murders; neighbors relieved

What we know about Martinez-Guzman:

• He will turn 20 next week, according to Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong.
• He has family in the area. Soon after his arrest in a parking lot at the Carson Mall, other locations in Carson were searched including a residence on Woodside Drive.
• He was being held in the Carson City Detention Facility on a suicide watch but now is a step down from that, according to Furlong. He is under constant surveillance.
• He has met with a behavioral psychologist since being arrested.
• He was not known by law enforcement prior to this investigation, but in early 2018 was pulled over for a minor traffic violation.
• He is cooperating with police.
• When he was first considered a suspect, police contacted immigration services and were told he may be in the country illegally.
• Police said they believe he has been in the area for about a year, but have not released more information on where he may have lived previously or where he may have been born.

https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2019/...rs/2637848002/

Salvadoran accused of 4 Nevada killings worked for 2 victims

RENO, Nev. — A 19-year-old Salvadoran man suspected of being in the country illegally was charged Monday with killing four people in Nevada, including a couple who employed him as a landscaper at their Reno home where he fatally shot them with a gun he stole from them earlier, authorities said.

Wilber Ernesto Martinez-Guzman told investigators he used a .22-caliber revolver stolen from the property of 81-year-old Gerald David and 80-year-oldSharon David less than two weeks before he killed them on Jan. 16.

"The lady was coming out. I got scared and shot at her,"Martinez-Guzman is quoted telling a Washoe County detective in an affidavit filed in Reno on Monday. It alleged that he first broke into"out buildings" or a trailer on the sprawling David property on Jan. 3 and Jan. 4 and made off with a cache of rifles and the handgun.

Martinez-Guzman had worked for a landscaping company at the Davids'property for four months, ending last July. It was not immediately clear if the job linked him to two women he is accused of killing in nearby Gardnerville.

The affidavit was used to obtain an arrest warrant for Martinez-Guzman, who was arrested Jan. 19 in Carson City and is jailed there on charges that he possessed weapons and other items stolen from the Davids and sold jewelry belonging to Gerald David and another victim.

Martinez-Guzman admitted also killing Gerald David, and the affidavit alleges that his DNA was found on the .22-caliber gun also used to kill Connie Koontz and Sophia Renken in their homes. Koontz was found dead Jan. 10. Renken's body was found Jan. 13.

The Davids were prominent Reno Rodeo Association members, and Martinez-Guzman is accused of possessing several Western-style belt buckles bearing their names stolen from their home.

Someone using an Apple account belonging to Martinez-Guzman's mother tried to activate an Apple watch stolen from Koontz, the affidavit said.

The mother, identified in the affidavit as Sonia Guzman, hasn't been charged with a crime. She was questioned by immigration authorities following her son's arrest and was given a hearing date, Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong said.

Guzman was the registered owner of a 2006 BMW 325i that Martinez-Guzman was driving when he was arrested, and in which authorities say they found the murder weapon.

The .22-caliber revolver was recovered from the car, and the affidavit said a .22-caliber bullet with DNA matching Martinez-Guzman was found on the kitchen floor at the David home.

Douglas County District Attorney Mark Jackson told reporters Monday that investigators in Douglas and Washoe counties had "a high level of confidence" that Martinez-Guzman acted alone in the killings.

Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks refused to comment on his immigration status.

President Donald Trump tweeted a week ago that the four killings in Nevada showed the need for his proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall, which was at the center of the federal government shutdown.

"What someone's status is in this country has nothing to do with how we are proceeding in this case," Hicks told reporters Monday. "We are looking to hold an alleged murderer accountable for the murders he committed. That's all."

Hicks said it would be more than a month before prosecutors decide whether to pursue the death penalty against Martinez-Guzman.

The 30-day clock on that decision deadline doesn't begin until he's formally arraigned in district court on the murder charges along with five burglary charges added in the new criminal complaint.

Hicks said they intend to extradite Martinez-Guzman to Washoe County to face those charges as soon as possible and that he will be held without bail in the county jail in Reno but that his initial arraignment in Reno Justice Court has not yet been scheduled.

He's currently being held in the Carson City jail on the theft and burglary charges on $500,000 bail. His appointed public defense attorney there, Karin Kreizenbeck, has declined comment.

Furlong said earlier that Martinez-Guzman's only known contact with authorities was a speeding ticket last February.

Each of the district attorneys told reporters during a news conference in Reno on Monday they would co-prosecute the case personally as their "highest priority."

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/salvadoran-accused-of-4-nevada-killings-worked-for-2-victims/ar-BBSQN3y

Did his illegal alien mother bring him here as a "baby"? If so, she needs to be deported now!


NO DACA, NO PATH TO STAY FOR THESE ILLEGAL ALIENS...NO AMNESTY! HOW MANY MORE THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN'S NEED TO BE MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD BEFORE WE DEPORT THE 25 MILLION OF THEM!!!

How does an illegal alien afford a BMW?

These landscape companies need to be raided, employers fined and jailed!!!

He had a "speeding ticket last February" and was NOT deported! Blood on the State of Nevada's hand for FOUR murders!

Should not be in our country, driving our roads, and whose name was the car registered in.

THIS IS INFURATING!!!!

SHUT THAT DAMN BORDER DOWN.

THOUSANDS MORE POURING OVER OUR BORDER EVERY WEEK PEOPLE!

By Max Michor Las Vegas Review-Journal
March 14, 2019 - 10:38 am


Updated March 14, 2019 - 4:50 pm

Prosecutors in Douglas and Washoe counties will seek the death penalty for a 20-year-old undocumented immigrant accused of killing four people in Northern Nevada.

“We reserve the death penalty for the worst of the worst,” Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks said at a news conference Thursday. “We use it sparingly.”

Wilber Ernesto Martinez-Guzman was indicted Wednesday on 10 counts of burglary, robbery, possession of a stolen weapon and murder.

Martinez-Guzman, an immigrant from El Salvador who entered the country illegally, is accused of shooting and killing Gerald David, 81, and his wife, Sharon, 80, in Reno and Connie Koontz, 56, and Sophia Renken, 74, in Gardnerville.

The shootings occurred during a weeklong robbery spree in January, authorities said.

Martinez-Guzman faces charges in both Washoe and Douglas Counties but was transferred to Washoe first to face the murder charges there.

The Washoe County district attorney’s office sought a grand jury indictment to expedite the trial against Martinez-Guzman, who waived his right to a preliminary hearing.

“This is a priority because of the victims, the victims’ families and the community,” Hicks said at a news conference held after Martinez-Guzman’s indictment was announced

Douglas County District Attorney Jackson said both offices were in contact with the victims’ families, who agreed with the decision.

Both offices considered Martinez-Guzman’s age and lack of criminal record when deliberating on the decision. His immigration status was not considered, Hicks said, adding that the offices were not aware of whether Martinez-Guzman had any criminal record outside the United States.

“After weighing all of the aggravating circumstances and all of the known mitigating circumstances, it was our decision that we would proceed with the death penalty,” Jackson said.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/...lings-1617933/

Another take on the same title.

Death penalty sought for Salvadoran in Nevada killings


By SCOTT SONNER
yesterday



1 of 3
FILE - In this Jan. 24, 2019 file photo, Wilber Ernesto Martinez-Guzman, 19, of El Salvador, is escorted into the courtroom for his initial appearance in Carson City Justice Court in Carson City, Nev. A grand jury has indicted Martinez-Guzman on murder charges in the killing of four northern Nevadans in January. The district attorneys for Washoe and Douglas counties scheduled a news conference in Reno Thursday, March 14, 2019, to provide an update on the case, including their decision on whether to seek the death penalty for Martinez-Guzman.(AP Photo/Scott Sonner, File)

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Prosecutors said Thursday they will seek the death penalty against a 20-year-old Salvadoran immigrant in the U.S. illegally who has been charged with killing four people in Nevada, including an elderly couple.

Wilber Ernesto Martinez-Guzman is being prosecuted in Reno after authorities said he fatally shot the couple in their Reno home and two women in their homes south of Carson City during a 10-day crime rampage in January.

The case has drawn the attention of President Donald Trump, who says it shows the need for his proposed border wall.

Immigration status had nothing to do with the decision to pursue capital punishment in the case, according to district attorneys Chris Hicks of Washoe County and Mark Jackson of Douglas County, co-prosecutors in the case.

“His immigration status was not even discussed at all,” Jackson said.

Hicks said Martinez-Guzman would be eligible for the death penalty because of aggravating circumstances that include the killing of more than one person during the commission of felonies aimed at obtaining money and other property.

His young age and absence of any prior criminal history in the U.S. and El Salvador were also considered, the prosecutor said.

A grand jury indicted Martinez-Guzman on Wednesday on murder, burglary and weapon charges. He could enter a plea to those counts at his first appearance in state court, scheduled April 11.

He has been held without bail in the county jail in Reno after being charged in previous criminal complaints. He was arrested Jan. 19.

His public defense attorney, John Arrascada, did not immediately respond Thursday to messages seeking comment.

Federal officials have said Martinez-Guzman is in the U.S. illegally but they don’t know how or when he crossed the border.

The four slaying victims include Gerald David, 81, and his 80-year-old wife, Sharon David, a prominent Reno Rodeo Association couple who had employed Martinez-Guzman as a landscaper at their house last summer.

Police say they were shot with a .22-caliber handgun that Martinez-Guzman stole from them less than two weeks earlier.

Court documents allege that Martinez-Guzman’s DNA was found on the same gun that was also used to kill Connie Koontz and Sophia Renken in their homes.

Martinez-Guzman was arrested in Carson City, where he also faces a series of weapons and burglary charges.

Hicks said prosecutors presented witnesses and an “extraordinary amount of evidence” during the grand jury proceeding Wednesday aimed at bypassing a preliminary hearing.

“We believe we cut off several months of time that would have been spent in Justice Court,” Hicks said, noting the victims’ families supported the strategy.

Jackson said it’s the first time he has sought the death penalty in the 12 years he’s been the district attorney in Douglas County. Hicks said it’s the fourth time it’s been sought in more than 10 years in Washoe County.

“We reserve the death penalty for the worst of the worst,” Hicks said.

https://www.apnews.com/1313924652cf43e3bea72b11d43811e3
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