In the early morning hours of July 9, 2016, a tragic sequence of events unfolded on the southwest side of Detroit, Michigan, claiming the lives of two women. Martha Veronica Rodriguez Rios, a 42-year-old female, arrived at a residence on the 8000 block of Cahalan Street near Springwells Street around 3:00 a.m. She was a passenger in a vehicle driven by her friend, 27-year-old Nay Martinez.
Unbeknownst to them, Martha's estranged husband, Pablo Medina, was lying in wait near the home, reportedly armed and anticipating their arrival.
As the car pulled up to the house, Medina emerged from his hiding spot and launched an ambush-style attack on the vehicle. He opened fire on the car, striking the driver, Nay Martinez, who was killed at the scene. In a desperate attempt to escape the gunfire, Martha exited the passenger side of the vehicle and tried to flee on foot. Medina pursued her and continued firing, fatally striking her before she could reach safety. Following the double homicide, the 41-year-old suspect fled the scene in a silver and blue Chevrolet Camaro, sparking a massive manhunt by local authorities who considered him armed and dangerous.
Investigators quickly identified Pablo Medina as the prime suspect, noting that he and Martha were in the midst of divorce proceedings. The search for Medina intensified over the weekend and led police to the Embassy Suites hotel in Romulus, Michigan, near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, where Medina had previously been employed as a maintenance worker. On the morning of Monday, July 11, acting on a tip that the suspect had returned to the property, law enforcement officers from multiple agencies, including SWAT teams, descended on the hotel. The facility was placed on lockdown, and guests were evacuated as officers conducted a room-by-room search.
The manhunt came to a violent conclusion when police located Medina hiding in a storage closet at the hotel. According to authorities, he emerged from the closet brandishing a weapon and pointing it at the officers. In response to the immediate threat, police opened fire, killing Medina and ending the standoff. No officers or bystanders were injured during the final confrontation, bringing a grim close to the investigation into the deaths of Martha Veronica Rodriguez Rios and Nay Martinez.
