AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — A 21-year-old suspect is accused of killing his mother and siblings after they were found dead in their Aurora home Saturday night, according to an affidavit FOX31 received.
Christopher Martinez is facing three counts of first-degree murder after he was arrested by Aurora police in the early morning hours of Dec. 11.
Family calls Aurora police for help
Martinez’s grandparents, Eugene and Dallas Martinez, live in Texas and were staying with one of their daughters in Firestone, according to the affidavit. They called the Aurora Police Department around 5 p.m. on Dec. 11 and requested a welfare check after they had not heard from their other daughter and granddaughter all day, the document said.
When officers responded to the call and went by the home in the 1500 block of South Evanston Street, they saw the garage door partially open and lights on in the home, according to the affidavit. They concluded there was nothing suspicious and did not attempt to contact anyone in the home. APD informed the family of its findings.
Around 7 p.m., Martinez went to the home in Aurora with his grandfather, his uncle and a family friend.
They entered the home to find Kaden Casteneda, 18, Marisol Espindola, 18, and Estancia Martinez, 41, stabbed and shot to death. Christopher Martinez, the suspect, is Estancia’s son and the other two victims are his siblings, the affidavit said.
Police arrived and took Martinez, his grandfather and the family friend to the station to interview them. Martinez’s uncle remained at the scene with Martinez’s grandmother who was later questioned by police.
What family members told police
Martinez’s grandmother said he called her around 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 10 to tell her he had a bad dream that his mom and siblings were all dead. She told him it was just a dream and to go back to bed, the affidavit said.
Martinez called his grandparents again around 8 a.m. and told them he wanted to come to see them. When he got there an hour later, he told them had obtained a concealed carry permit and showed them a black handgun.
The affidavit said Martinez’s grandmother told investigators when Martinez arrived, he said to her, “I think I killed my mom and sister. I think I hurt them.” She also said he was hyperventilating at some point.
Martinez’s grandmother then told detectives about the conversation she had with him at 1:30 a.m. On the call, he allegedly said he went to the Aurora house and was doing shots of tequila with Estancia, Marisol and Kaden. He told her he got blackout drunk and stabbed Kaden because he was talking too much, the affidavit said. He told her that he went upstairs and told Estancia and Marisol what he had done and they didn’t believe him. He then dragged Marisol into the bedroom with Estancia and shot them.
What detectives found when they processed the scene
After a search warrant was approved by a court judge, APD Major Crimes Homicide Unit detectives found Kaden with what appeared to be multiple stab wounds. They found Estancia with “what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head and the chest area and multiple stab wounds, which included the face.” The document said Marisol also had multiple stab wounds to the face.
Suspect denies telling grandmother about murders
Investigators interviewed Martinez after reading him his Miranda Rights and he told them he picked up Kaden after he got off work on Friday, Dec. 9 around 5 p.m. He said they picked up some tequila and went back to the home he, his mother and his sister had just moved to in Aurora. Kaden does not live at that residence and it was his first time at the location, the affidavit said.
Martinez allegedly told the detectives that he and Kaden started drinking and smoking marijuana. He told them Marisol had a shot, didn’t like it and went upstairs. He said he had a fight with his mom over his room being dirty but told them it “was small and was not a big deal.”
The affidavit said he told investigators he believed everyone was going to bed, grabbed some clothes and left to do laundry at their previous residence in Colorado Springs around 1 a.m. and 1:30 a.m.
Martinez told investigators he did call his grandmother but only spoke to her about the fight he had with his mother. He said he told her that he had a bad dream about his family but that she told him it was only a dream and not to worry about it.
Detectives then asked Martinez about what his grandmother told them — that he admitted to killing Estancia, Marisol and Kaden. He denied telling his grandma that and asked for an attorney.