Investigator details series of calls leading up to woman’s murder

Testimony continued Wednesday in the murder trial of Horace Solomon, Jr. Investigators with the Doa Ana County Sheriff’s Office described finding Solomon passed out next to his ex-wife’s body.

Jurors heard testimony from a Doa Ana County sheriff’s deputy who took Solomon into custody the night of the murder.

The deputy said while in custody Solomon confessed to killing his ex-wife Jenny Bates.

“He kept saying, ‘I killed her. I murdered the mother of my children.’ He said he didn’t know why he did it,” deputy Jon Armijo said.

Armijo said when he took Solomon into custody he was intoxicated to the point where he couldn’t walk properly.

Solomon listened to the testimony calmly without any emotion on his face.

On Tuesday, a 13-year-old girl testified she she was forced to watch Solomon stab Bates over and over.

An autopsy revealed Bates had 32 stab wounds on her body.

Deputy Armijo says Solomon was so distraught about what he did he even asked the deputy to shoot and kill him.

“He kept asking me to shoot him. He asked what it would take for me to kill him,” Armijo said.

The lead investigator on the case took the stand later, and several jurors had questions after he finished his testimony.

Investigator Carlos Montoya detailed what led up to the murder of Jenny Bates. Montoya said Bates didn’t go to work that day and had calls from Solomon as early as 8 that morning.

But it was the series of phone calls and texts in the hours before Bates was killed that the prosecution focused on.

Montoya said Solomon called Bates 16 times in a matter of four hours. He also said Bates eventually sent Solomon a text message to stop because she was watching movies with her kids.

But Solomon didn’t stop.

Montoya said Solomon continued to call and text Bates until around the time she was murdered after midnight.

That’s when a young girl has said Solomon forced his way in and stabbed Bates with a kitchen knife more than 30 times.

Jurors asked Montoya if police officers heard any of the voice mails Solomon left for Bates. Montoya said they were deleted after Bates listened to them.

Defense attorneys are expected to present their witnesses beginning Thursday.