Arizona requests execution warrant for Ernesto Martinez in 1995 trooper murder
The state of Arizona is seeking an execution warrant for Ernesto Martinez following the completion of his decades-long appeals process. Martinez was sentenced to death in 1997 for shooting DPS Trooper Robert Martin during a routine traffic stop on th
PHOENIX - A man on death row convicted of killing an Arizona State Trooper more than 30 years ago could be put to death next year.
What we know:
Attorney General Kris Mayes has notified the Arizona Supreme Court that she is requesting an execution warrant for Ernesto Martinez.
Martinez was sentenced to death in 1997 for the murder of DPS Trooper Robert Martin, who was shot and killed in 1995 during a routine traffic stop on the Beeline Highway.
After three decades, Martinez has now exhausted all of his appeals. The state says his execution could take place as early as January of next year.
The backstory:
Martinez stole a blue Chevrolet Monte Carlo in California in July 1995, along with a license plate from a second California vehicle, setting off a chain of events that culminated in the fatal shooting Martin.
Two days prior to the killing, Martinez showed a friend in Globe a revolver with black electrical tape wrapped around its handle. Martinez, who had previous violent crime convictions, was violating his probation at the time and sought to avoid returning to prison.
On Aug. 15, 1995, multiple motorists observed Martinez driving at excessive speeds along State Route 87. A couple passed the stolen Monte Carlo shortly after Arizona Department of Public Safety Officer Robert Martin conducted a traffic stop and began walking toward the vehicle. Martinez fired four shots at Officer Martin, killing him, and took the officer's service weapon.
As Martinez fled the scene at high speeds, several drivers noted the Monte Carlo’s license plate number due to his erratic driving.
Police arrested Martinez in California the following day. Investigators recovered both the murder weapon and Officer Martin’s service revolver. Following his arrest, authorities overheard Martinez on a phone call laughing and bragging to a friend about killing a police officer. Ballistics testing later confirmed that at least one bullet recovered from Officer Martin came from Martinez’s tape-wrapped revolver.
Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Hotham presided over the trial, which opened Sept. 4, 1997. Prosecutors Robert Shuns and Juan Martinez secured a guilty verdict on Sept. 26, 1997.
Judge Christopher M. Skelly sentenced Martinez on Aug. 18, 1998, citing aggravating circumstances that included Martinez's history of serious offenses and the murder of a peace officer in the line of duty.