On the morning of October 23, 1978, Jesse Martinez, a 50-year-old Hispanic male, was found dead in a skid row parking lot in Los Angeles, California. His death marked the beginning of a chilling series of murders that would later be attributed to a serial killer dubbed the "Skid Row Stabber." Martinez, who was reportedly homeless at the time, had been stabbed to death, and his body was discovered in an area known for its transient population and high crime rates.
The murder of Jesse
Martinez was the first in a string of brutal stabbings that targeted vulnerable individuals, primarily homeless men, within a concentrated area of downtown Los Angeles. Over the following weeks, more victims were found under similar circumstances—stabbed with a knife and left in alleys, sidewalks, or parking lots. The killings bore signs of ritualistic elements, including references to Satan scrawled in blood near at least one crime scene. The pattern and proximity of the murders led investigators to believe they were the work of a single perpetrator.
Law enforcement eventually arrested 29-year-old Bobby Joe Maxwell in April 1979. Maxwell, who had moved to Los Angeles from Tennessee after a prior prison sentence, became a suspect after a palm print found near one of the later victims matched his. Witnesses also described a man who introduced himself as “Luther” and claimed to kill “winos” to put them out of their misery. This alias was later linked to graffiti found in a downtown bus terminal, further connecting Maxwell to the crimes.
Maxwell was convicted in 1984 on two counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. However, his conviction was overturned in 2010 due to concerns over the reliability of the evidence and the conduct of the prosecution. Despite the reversal, Maxwell remained incarcerated and died in 2019 after suffering a heart attack while in a coma. The full extent of his involvement in the murder of Jesse Martinez, the 50-year-old Hispanic male, and the other victims remains a subject of debate, but his arrest and trial were central to the investigation into the Skid Row Stabber killings.
