In the cold, early morning hours of Sunday, January 22, 2017, the life of 32-year-old Hispanic male Ernest Pepe Martinez of Ogden, Utah, was tragically cut short in the parking lot of an SNS Quick Stop convenience store. Martinez was found deceased inside his vehicle from gunshot wounds following a shots-fired call that came in at approximately 12:44 a.m. The incident, which took place at 110 Patterson Street, would quickly unfold into a homicide investigation that gripped the Ogden community.
Inside the vehicle with Martinez at the time of the shooting were two other individuals who were miraculously unharmed as numerous rounds were fired into the car. Stray bullets also struck a nearby occupied house, though no one inside was injured.
The Ogden Police Department, with the assistance of the Weber County Homicide Task Force and Weber County Crime Scene Investigators, immediately launched a full-scale investigation. A crucial breakthrough in the case came from surveillance footage obtained from the convenience store, which captured images of the suspected gunman. In an effort to identify the individual, authorities released the images to the public and utilized social media, a move that proved instrumental in the swift progression of the case. The Ogden Police Department's Facebook post requesting the community's help was shared nearly a thousand times and reached over 65,000 people, leading to a flood of tips to the Weber Area Dispatch 911 and Emergency Services District.
Based on the numerous tips received, investigators identified 18-year-old Thomas "TJ" Lovato as the primary suspect. While monitoring his Facebook page, police observed Lovato in photos and videos with firearms, wearing what appeared to be the same clothing as the suspect in the surveillance video. In a matter of a day, Lovato was located on foot near 21st Street and Washington Boulevard shortly after midnight on Monday morning. After a brief foot chase, Lovato, who was wearing a wig at the time of his arrest, was taken into custody. He was subsequently booked into the Weber County Jail on suspicion of first-degree felony murder.
Initially, Lovato claimed he acted in self-defense, a claim that prosecutors believed could create reasonable doubt for a jury, despite physical evidence at the scene suggesting otherwise. This consideration, along with other factors that may have weakened the prosecution's case, led to a plea deal. Lovato pleaded guilty to a reduced count of manslaughter, a second-degree felony, and attempted murder, a first-degree felony. In October 2018, a judge sentenced him to serve at least three years and up to life for the attempted murder conviction, and one to fifteen years for manslaughter, with the sentences to run concurrently. The outcome of the case was met with anguish by Martinez's family, who felt that the plea deal did not deliver justice for their loved one.
