Share and Follow
What began as just another school day in Las Vegas changed instantly when a traumatized young student told his teacher that his mother and sister had been murdered.
In a preview clip for a new episode of The Death Investigator with Barbara Butcher, airing Oct. 11 at 9/8c p.m. on , detectives recalled the tragic case of a brutal family murder.
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.
“It appeared that Christopher had been crying, so the teacher has him what was wrong,” said Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Detective Dean Raetz in the sneak peek. “He told her that his sister and mother had been murdered, and his dad was covered with blood.”
Christopher also explained that his little brother Alejandro was at home with their dad. “The teacher immediately called security,” recalled Barbara Butcher. “Security called 911, and police responded to the house.”
Nearly a decade after the tragic incident, Butcher, a seasoned medicolegal expert, marveled at Christopher’s resilience in the face of tragedy. “Like a good little son,” she said, “he was aware that he had to go to school and get 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 observed a child inside and tried to coax him out. “As they were doing so,” said Raetz, “the front door opened. This man emerged from the residence.”
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.
