Christian Martinez’s family pleads for his life

“Please don’t kill my brother.”

That’s what Christian Martinez sister Viviana Martinez pleaded to the jury with tears in her eyes during Monday afternoon’s emotional testimony. Both the prosecution and defense rested their case before 3 p.m., and the case now moves to closing arguments.

The defense presented the testimony of Christian Martinez family members, including Guadalupe Martinez and Maria Mariscal, Christian Martinez’s mother and grandmother. They told the court about the abuse and neglect Christian Martinez was subjected to by his father, and how he wouldn’t interact with his son like a normal father would. Speaking through an interpreter, Guadalupe Martinez choked back tears to say “My husband would hit him, beat him up, and mistreat him”

Christian Martinez continued to look down throughout the testimony, even as his weeping mother passed by him to leave the courtroom.

During cross-examination, the prosecution focused on the fact that no abuse was ever reported to the police, and that Guadalupe Martinez didn’t know her son was abusing drugs.

The court also heard from Jesse Martinez, Christian Martinez’s half brother, who old the jury about the beatings he received from their father and that Christian Martinez saw. He said “It went far. I would get pushed, punched, thrown against the wall, verbally abused, told I wasn’t worth anything.”
Monday morning the jury heard from former state prison administrator Frank AuBuchon on what Christian Martinez could face in prison.

If not sentenced to death, Christian Martinez’s mental state would be evaluated by prison doctors to determine if he needed treatment for impairments or illnesses. He could then be sent to a secure medical treatment facility, or enter the general prison population with a range of possible restrictions.

AuBuchon described the different levels of prison conditions possible with a capital murder charge, and said that “based upon the evaluations by doctors and (Christian Martinez’s) lack of criminal sophistication” Martinez would most likely enter the general population in medium security, or G3.

The prosecution on cross argued that Christian Martinez might not face many restrictions compared to other inmates while incarcerated, and could possibly pose a threat to prison employees.

Last week, the prosecution called members of the Flores family to present testimony, including Enrique Flores-Perez, Amalia Flores’s husband of 20 years and Jovana Flores’s dad. He heard their names and broke down.

He paused before managing to say, “I miss them so much. My house is empty now. Empty and cold. Nothing is the same. Everything has changed in my life.”

Closing arguments are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday.