New leads coming in murder, police say

New leads coming in murder, police say

July 5, 2001

By Jim Mimiaga
Journal Staff Writer

Police are tight-lipped about the status of the Fred Martinez Jr. murder investigation, but say they are confident that "good information" will be revealed soon regarding the high-profile case.

"I can’t tell you much now because the case is very sensitive and we do not want to compromise our chances in any way," said Lt. Kalvin Boggs, a detective with the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Department, late Tuesday.

"All I can say is that good information is forthcoming," Boggs said.

On June 21, the body of Martinez, a 16-year-old Montezuma-Cortez High School student, was found in a popular "party" area in a canyon just south of the Cortez city limits. Police say his death was a homicide, but have released few details about the cause of death other than saying it was a combination of blunt trauma to the head and exposure.

Police believe his body had been in that location, near the Happy Valley Trailer Park, since June 16, the night of a rodeo carnival Martinez attended in Cortez. Martinez was last seen by his mother that Saturday, then later at the Ute Mountain Ute Roundup Rodeo by witnesses interviewed by police.

According to a source close to the investigation, Martinez was also seen at a house party in Cortez after the carnival, which he reportedly attended with one of his brothers. Tracking down party participants, who numbered around 30, has been a focus of the investigation, the source said.

"It’s divide-and-conquer and the stories don’t all match up, with some saying he either left (the party) at 1 a.m., 4 a.m., or that he spent the night there," said the source, who added that various levels of alcohol consumption at the party had contributed to conflicting witness reports.

Three initial suspects have been cleared, but other unidentified individuals are being sought for interviews, and are considered suspects until eliminated as such, Boggs said.

Focus on the homicide as a possible hate crime has been prompted by reports that Martinez was either gay or transgendered, meaning he felt he was a female trapped in a man’s body. He was known to occasionally wear women’s clothing and makeup, told teachers he was considering a sex change, and reportedly had been harassed at school about his effeminate appearance.

However, other acquaintances downplay the significance of Martinez’s behavior.

"He was a regular kid, and until he started his pubescence he wasn’t thinking too much about what he was, but adolescence is a time of change," said Barbara Burroughs, one of Martinez’s teachers.

"I think the focus on his appearance and that he led some kind of a diverse lifestyle is a bunch of baloney. He was just 16, with a typical teenage life — keeping friends, high energy, considering a future."

Burroughs taught Martinez in the adult-education program, which she said he attended as an alternative to the regular classroom.

Investigators have said Martinez’s sexuality is being investigated as a possible motive in his killing, but no one knows yet what the motive actually was. No arrests had been made in the case as of Tuesday.

Boggs said an autopsy has been completed, but a report on its results has not been issued.

State and national groups dedicated to protecting citizens with different sexual orientations have expressed concern over Martinez’s case, and believe that if his murder is found to be hate-related, it reflects the need to pass significant hate-crime legislation in Colorado.

A memorial fund has been set up to help defray the costs of Martinez’s funeral, which takes place today at 1 p.m. at the Ertel Memorial Chapel.