Briana Martinez, a 19-year-old White woman from Boise, Idaho, was remembered by her family as a caring daughter, sister, and friend who was a beautiful singer. Her cousin said she “cared about everybody,” and a longtime friend recalled that she “made an impact on everyone.” In the spring of 2019, her life was cut short by an act of sudden violence that also left two others wounded.
Late on the night of April 14, 2019, police were called to a home on the Boise Bench after
neighbors reported hearing screaming and gunshots. Officers arrived at the residence near the intersection of Palouse and South Owyhee streets to find three people with gunshot wounds outside. All three were rushed to a local hospital, but Briana succumbed to a single gunshot wound and was pronounced dead just after midnight. The other two victims, her older sister Natalie Martinez and a man named Sonny Heidenreich, were hospitalized in stable condition.
The suspects fled before police arrived, but the investigation quickly led authorities to a home in Meridian. A SWAT team was deployed, and after a standoff, three people were taken into custody. Anthony Alcala, 20, was identified as the shooter and initially charged with second-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery. Two women who were with him, 22-year-old Taja McMurtrey-Winn and 18-year-old Jessica Perez, were charged with being an accessory to murder for helping Alcala hide from police. Prosecutors stated that McMurtrey-Winn, an ex-girlfriend of Heidenreich, had gone to the house with Perez and Alcala to retrieve property. A physical altercation broke out, during which Alcala pulled out a pistol and began firing.
The community mourned Briana’s death, creating a memorial of flowers and candles outside her home and holding a fundraising motorcycle ride in her honor. At a court hearing, Briana’s mother, Toni Lantz, spoke of the pain of having her daughter die in her arms. The legal process for the three defendants concluded over the next year. Taja McMurtrey-Winn and Jessica Perez both pleaded guilty to a felony charge of being an accessory. In late 2019, they were sentenced for their roles in the crime.
In December 2019, Anthony Alcala pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter with a deadly weapon enhancement, as well as two counts of aggravated battery for the injuries to Natalie Martinez and Sonny Heidenreich. On March 6, 2020, a district judge sentenced Alcala to a unified 50-year prison sentence. He will be required to serve 20 years before becoming eligible for parole.
