The charred body of a girl who had been raped, murdered and dismembered was found on her 10th birthday in an apartment in New Mexico, police say.
Advertisement
Police said Gonzales and Kelley sexually assaulted the girl.
Officers found the child after being sent to an apartment before dawn Wednesday, responding to a disturbance call.
Neighbor Johnny Madrid says her daughter and the girl who was killed swam last Saturday together in the pool of the apartment complex.
“This is a horrific tragedy for our community”, Albuquerque Police Chief Gordon Eden said at a news conference on Wednesday. “A complete disregard of human life”.
Throughout the day, people stopped to pay their respects and laid balloons, flowers and stuffed animals at the base of a tree.
In the evening, dozens of people gathered for a candlelight vigil and the shrine grew. “What happened to this little girl is unspeakable, and justice should come down like a hammer on the monster who committed this murder.” .
Police arrested a 10-year-old New Mexico girl’s mother, her boyfriend and his cousin in connection with her death after they allegedly injected her with meth before sexually assaulting and killing her. Kelley pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit criminal sexual penetration and was sentenced to three years in prison minus almost a year for time served.
Gonzales denied having anything to do with the girls death as he was led out of the police station in handcuffs late Wednesday as reporters yelled questions at him. The girls mother said nothing as she was led out and placed into the back of a police auto.
Police said Gonzales and Kelley face additional rape charges. No details were disclosed about why she was hospitalized.
Kelley reportedly pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit criminal sexual penetration and was sentenced to three years in prison minus almost a year for time served.
She claimed Gonzales then strangled Victoria and Kelley stabbed her before the two of them dismembered the girl’s body and Martens told police she was not involved in the death.
Martens reportedly told police Gonzales then killed the victim by choking her and Martens stabbed her in the chest.
The complaint also states that the mother told investigators that Gonzales and Kelley dismembered the girl. Later, all three – including the girl’s mother – stabbed and strangled the 10-year-old girl to death. The officer put it out.
Susana Martinez says what happened to the little girl “is unspeakable and justice should come”.
Gonzales’ previous convictions have been for domestic violence, as well as false imprisonment, while Kelley was only released from prison 10 days ago and has a criminal history that dates back to 2005 and includes battery, methamphetamine trafficking, assault on a peace officer, and sexually assaulting an inmate. He pleaded no contest to a charge of child abandonment in 2015.
Kelley’s arrest record includes battery, domestic violence and drug charges – a lot of them dismissed.
Martens appeared to not show any remorse with police detectives, according to Tixier.
Martens is facing kidnapping charges along with Gonzales.
Bail was set at $1 million each for Martens and Gonzales by a judge at their first court appearance Thursday afternoon. The two did not speak in court and the public defence lawyer who represented them did not comment about the allegations.
Medical report of the victim’s body suggested that she had been given a dose of methamphetamine in order to calm her down as the couple could have sex with her. Its just so tragic..
“It hurts me because I love kids, someone so young does not deserve to be murdered, let alone brutally murdered”, neighbor Ajaisha Bradford said.
Laura Bobbs, a minister and close friend of the family, said Martens, who lived alone with her children, had no contact with Victoria’s father.
“She seemed fine, she didn’t seem scared or upset”, Quintana said.
Advertisement
Bobbs sobbed and screamed when she visited the apartment afterwards.
