Jury sees disturbing evidence in Martinez trial

The jury saw more unnerving evidence Thursday in the capital murder trial of Christian Martinez, 23. He’s the man accused of stabbing two women to death in January 2011.

Police said he followed Jovana Flores, 20, home from her jog on the east side, then stabbed Flores and her mother, Amalia, 58, more than 100 times.

Martinez sat expressionless in the El Paso County Courthouse on Thursday as the jury saw Amalia’s bra with six knife holes in it. They also saw Jovana’s blood-soaked running clothes and a broken headphone cord. Attorneys showed the jury a diagram of the single-story house, showing blood in rooms throughout the home.

Images of the master bedroom depicted disheveled items, a large carving knife, and a pool of blood on the floor and bed. This is where the defense said Martinez tried to saw his left wrist, after he allegedly stabbed the women. The defense team is trying to use that to prove Martinez is innocent by reason of insanity.

“He wanted to die for what he had done,” retired El Paso police officer Arturo Ruiz remembered Martinez telling him from a hospital bed.

But a sample of the blood pool in the master bedroom near where police found Martinez was never sent to the state crime lab for testing.

“It’s their policies and procedures,” said El Paso police officer Martin Martinez. “We in the department have no control of what they test or not test.”

Two officers identified Martinez on Thursday as the man at Del Sol Hospital after the stabbings. One said Martinez was uncooperative with hospital staff.

“He was combative, preventing them from trying to do any first aid to save his life,” said defense attorney Joe Spencer.

If convicted, Martinez could face life in prison or the death penalty.

Trial resumes in the 210th District Court on Friday at 9 a.m.