On May 4, 1996, Jorge Martinez, a 26-year-old Latino male, was fatally shot near 14th Street and Linden Avenue in Long Beach, California. At approximately 10:30 p.m., police responded to reports of gunfire and discovered Martinez lying face up on the sidewalk. Crime scene photos revealed an empty plate at his feet and money protruding from his pocket, suggesting that robbery was not a motive. Despite initial investigations, the case went cold due to a lack of witnesses and leads.
In 2015, nearly two decades later, new information emerged, prompting cold case detectives to reopen the investigation. This led to the identification and arrest of Wayne Taufi, who was already in custody on unrelated charges. Taufi, known by the alias 'Big Fassi,' was a member of the Suicidals subset of the Sons of Samoa street gang. Prosecutors alleged that Taufi was controlling the alley where Martinez was killed and that he, along with another gang member known as KO, had been selling drugs from a nearby home. On the night of the murder, Martinez was walking down the alley with his girlfriend, eating a plate of food prepared by her sister. After asking his girlfriend if she wanted to go to the movies, she returned home to get her jacket. Moments later, she heard gunshots and blacked out. Taufi was charged with murder and pleaded not guilty; he has been awaiting trial since his arrest.
