In a quiet South Salt Lake neighborhood, a sunny Sunday morning in June of 2018 was shattered by a violent and tragic event that claimed the life of 89-year-old Hispanic female, Rose Martinez. On June 17th, what should have been a peaceful day for Rose and her 71-year-old husband turned into a terrifying ordeal when their 44-year-old grandson, Abe Martinez, entered their home near 450 E. Stanley Ave.
Abe, who had recently been paroled from the federal prison system and had an active warrant for his arrest after walking away from a halfway house just two days prior, took his grandparents hostage.
Family members grew concerned when they couldn't reach the elderly couple and an unknown man answered their phone. Responding to a call from worried relatives just before 10:35 a.m., South Salt Lake police officers arrived at the residence to a tense and dangerous situation. Abe Martinez refused to negotiate, making his violent intentions clear to the officers. As the situation escalated, a shot was fired from inside the house, prompting the involvement of a SWAT team. While officers were taking up positions outside the home, Abe Martinez killed his grandmother.
With the situation growing more perilous and fearing for the life of Rose's husband, who had been seriously injured, the SWAT team was forced to take immediate action. Officers engaged Abe Martinez and shots were fired, resulting in his death at the scene. Inside the home, authorities discovered Rose Martinez deceased. Her husband was rushed to the hospital in critical condition but was later upgraded to serious and stable.
The investigation that followed confirmed that Abe Martinez was the sole perpetrator in the death of his grandmother. As the suspect was killed during the police intervention, there were no arrests to be made and the case did not proceed to a trial. The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office later ruled that the use of deadly force by the officers was justified. The tragic event left a family and a community to mourn the loss of an elderly woman in a senseless act of violence.
