On a Monday morning in Minneapolis, the life of Ricardo Samuel Pena Martinez, a 31-year-old Hispanic male, was tragically cut short. At approximately 9:27 a.m. on November 20, 2023, police responded to reports of a shooting in a parking lot behind 1900 Chicago Avenue South. There they found Martinez with a life-threatening gunshot wound to his back.
He was rushed to Hennepin County Medical Center, where, despite life-saving efforts, he was pronounced dead at 10:08 a.m.
The investigation into the shooting quickly revealed a complex and volatile backstory. Martinez's wife informed police that she knew who was responsible. She had been married to Martinez for several years, and they had four children together. However, their relationship had gone through periods of separation. During one such separation, she had entered into a romantic relationship with 37-year-old Orky Xayachack. When she and Martinez reconciled, she ended her relationship with Xayachack.
Xayachack was enraged by the breakup and sent threatening text messages to the couple, including pictures of a handgun, vowing to kill them both. On the morning of the shooting, surveillance video captured an SUV stopping on the street and Martinez walking towards it. As he walked away from the vehicle, he was shot in the back. A witness heard the shot from their apartment and saw an SUV speed away. After the shooting, Xayachack sent a text to Martinez's wife, admitting that he had harmed her husband.
Police located the SUV, which was registered to another individual, in St. Paul later that day. When Xayachack arrived at the location in a different car, he was arrested. The handgun used in the shooting was found in his vehicle. Xayachack, who had a prior felony conviction for terroristic threats, was prohibited from possessing a firearm. He was charged with second-degree murder. Orky Xayachack pleaded guilty and was sentenced to over 33 years in prison for the murder of Ricardo Pena Martinez.
