On the morning of Saturday, March 28, 2026, the quiet community of Sapello, New Mexico, was disturbed by a grim discovery. New Mexico State Police were dispatched to a residence around 10:39 a.m. following a report of a deceased male. Upon arrival, they found 31-year-old Elijah Martinez, a male resident of Sapello, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The evidence present immediately suggested that his death was not of natural causes, prompting a homicide investigation.
Investigators quickly zeroed in on a primary suspect: Elijah’s older brother, 33-year-old Jaime Gilbert Martinez. It was determined that in the aftermath of his brother's death, Jaime had fled the state, heading northeast to the Denver, Colorado metropolitan area. The New Mexico State Police alerted their counterparts in Colorado, initiating a multi-state manhunt. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation was enlisted to help locate the fugitive.
The search for Jaime Martinez culminated on Sunday, March 29, 2026, at a residence in Lakewood, Colorado. A coordinated effort by several law enforcement agencies, including the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Lakewood Police Department, the Wheat Ridge Police Department, the Colorado State Patrol, and the West Metro SWAT team, surrounded the location. After a prolonged standoff with authorities, Jaime Gilbert Martinez was taken into custody.
Following his arrest, Jaime Martinez was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his brother, Elijah, and an additional charge of tampering with evidence. He was initially held in Colorado, awaiting extradition back to New Mexico to face the charges brought against him. At the time he was killed, Elijah Martinez was reportedly out on bail and awaiting his own trial for a murder charge from 2024.
