On an autumn evening in Hernandez, New Mexico, a dispute that began on the road tragically escalated, ending the life of 36-year-old Elmer Nicholas Sanchez II, a Mixed Race male. On October 17, 2022, Sanchez and his father were returning from a gas station when they became involved in a road rage incident that led them to a trailer park near their home. It was there that Sanchez was fatally shot.
The moments after the shooting were filled with anguish for his family, who were left to grapple with the sudden and violent loss of a man they describe as their protector.
Initial investigations by the Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office led to the arrest of Jerrid Maestas. However, the narrative of what happened that night was complex and fraught with conflicting information. Four months after the incident, Sanchez's family learned that the wrong man had been taken into custody. Investigators later determined that the actual shooter was Kevin Martinez, Sanchez's neighbor. It is alleged that there was a concerted effort to mislead law enforcement and place the blame on Maestas. Body camera footage from the scene captured a relative of Martinez attempting to protect him from suspicion.
Kevin Martinez was eventually arrested and charged with the murder of Elmer Sanchez Jr. The case against him is proceeding to trial after a preliminary hearing where the judge determined there was sufficient evidence, despite what was described as "conflicting/contradictory testimony from those witnesses." The investigation revealed that Martinez was out on a GPS ankle monitor for a separate, serious case at the time of the shooting. He was awaiting trial on more than a dozen charges, including kidnapping and rape. This revelation brought further pain to Sanchez's family, who expressed a belief that the justice system had failed to protect the community and their loved one from a dangerous individual. Martinez also faces charges related to burglary and an incident where he allegedly attempted to run over law enforcement officers who were trying to apprehend him as a fugitive. He was eventually captured by a SWAT team at a hideout near Española.
