Murder suspect claims girlfriend told him to do it

CREATED Aug. 16, 2012

  • Print
  • Video by ktnv.com

    video

Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- The 19-year-old accused of murder in the northeast valley says his girlfriend told him to do it.

Jose Martinez was arrested Tuesday for the death of 45-year-old Jaime Meza Guzman. He is charged with murder, conspiracy and burglary.

Martinez's 17-year-old girlfriend -- the daughter of the victim according to police -- was also arrested on suspicion of murder and conspiracy.

Meza Guzman's mother found him dead just after noon on Monday at a home in the 2500 block of San Marcos Street, near North Pecos Road and East Carey Avenue.

Martinez says that his girlfriend asked him to kill her father because he was abusive. Martinez told police detectives that he believed that Meza Guzman had physically, emotionally and mentally abused his daughter for as long as he had known her.

According to the police report, Meza Guzman and his daughter had a fight on Sunday about her career choice.

Police say that Martinez and the daughter later entered Guzman's bedroom as he was sleeping and Martinez jumped on Guzman in the bed and began stabbing him.

Once the pair thought that the victim was dead, they covered him with a blanket. However, when they noticed that he was still breathing, Martinez allegedly began stabbing him again until he was dead.

Martinez's girlfriend initially denied any involvement with the murder.

She told police detectives that she had called Martinez and that he picked her up at approximately 3:30 a.m. Monday morning. She also told police that she and Martinez had sex before leaving the residence.

She claimed they spent the day at his house until she returned home Monday evening.

Martinez initially corroborated much of his girl's statement. However, he changed his story after police detectives told him that they knew he was lying.

Martinez told detectives that he was helping his girlfriend pack when her father came into the room and attacked him. He claimed he tried to get away but Meza Guzman tried to stab him.

He then said that they struggled over the knife until Meza Guzman punched him in the head. Martinez claimed the next thing he remembered was waking up while standing over Meza Guzman's body with a bloody knife.

During the interview, police also received a call from an anonymous tipster. The tipster told police that he knew who killed Meza Guzman and that the daughter was involved.

The anonymous tipster also said that the pair had been asking people to help kill the victim. The tipster agreed to come forward once Martinez was arrested.

Police detectives confronted Martinez with the new information. He told them that the murder had been planned and that his girlfriend had asked him several times to kill her father.

Martinez also claimed that he did not want to do it and had tried to delay the act until the girlfriend could leave on her own.

At that point, Martinez gave police details about what happened during the murder.

Police once again spoke to the 17-year-old daughter and told her that Martinez had confessed. The girlfriend requested an attorney and showed no emotion as detectives explained to her that she was being arrested and charged for murder.

Police recovered evidence at the scene that supports the details in the police report. Some of that evidence includes a Post-it Note found in the girl's bedroom with information about Meza Guzman.

Police also recovered a bloody knife and found a bloody footwear impression on a blue bed sheet near the victim that matched the daughter's shoe.

Both Martinez and his girlfriend were booked into the Clark County Detention Center.

Martinez was scheduled to make his first court appearance Aug. 16.