What began as an ordinary school day in Las Vegas took a grim turn when a distressed young boy revealed to his teacher that his mother and sister had been murdered.
In a sneak peek of The Death Investigator with Barbara Butcher, set to air on Oct. 11 at 9/8c p.m., detectives recalled the harrowing case of a gruesome family slaying.
What did Christopher Martinez tell his teacher?
On April 16, 2016, 9-year-old Christopher Martinez got to school, and a faculty member sensed something was wrong.
“Christopher seemed to have been weeping, prompting the teacher to ask him what was wrong,” shared Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Detective Dean Raetz in the teaser. “He revealed that his sister and mother had been killed, and his father was covered in blood.”
Christopher further explained that his younger brother Alejandro was at home with their father. “The teacher promptly alerted security,” Barbara Butcher recounted. “Security then dialed 911, and police rushed to the residence.”
Almost a decade later, Butcher, an experienced forensic expert, admired Christopher’s courage despite the tragedy. “Like a responsible young boy,” she noted, “he knew he needed to go to school and seek help.”
What did police find at the Martinez residence?
A school police officer had transported Christopher back to the house. They were waiting outside the residence when LVMPD first responders arrived.
“Christopher,” said Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo, “told the officers he lived with his family.”
He told them about his father, Arturo, mother, Yadira (Yadi), 10-year-old sister Karla, and 4-year-old brother Alejandro.
When officers looked inside the house they saw a woman on the floor. Raetz noted: “There was a lot of blood.”
Officers noticed a child inside and attempted to persuade him to come out. “While they were at it,” Raetz said, “the front door swung open, and a man stepped out of the house.”
Who was this man—Arturo or the killer? What happened to Yadi and Karla?
Learn more about this heinous double homicide when The Death Investigator with Barbara Butcher airs Saturday, Oct. 11 at 9/8c p.m. on Oxygen.
