An “obsessed” father who hoarded his daughter’s underwear fled the country assuming the identity of her twin brother after the young Salt Lake County deputy’s body was found strangled in the home they shared.
Hector Ramon Martinez-Ayala, 54, had placed a tracking device on his daughter Marbella Martinez’s, 25, car and filled her home with spy cameras before her body was found dead in her bed on August 1.
Investigators say his text messages were “more in the nature of a jealous lover than a father,” and he confessed to his “unforgivable sin” of using his identical twin brother’s ID to flee the country hours later.
“My brother, you know very much that I love you, I made a big mistake, an unforgivable sin, now I am too scared and I don’t know what to do,” he wrote.
“I don’t think I’ll ever go back.”
Marbella Martinez, 25, was found dead in her bed in the home she shared with her father.
Father Hector Ramon Martinez-Ayala, 54, told his twin brother he had committed an “unforgivable sin” when he ran away from his home in Tooele, Utah, on July 31.
Marbella had joined the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 11, but quickly became a “dear friend and an integral part of our team,” according to Sheriff Rosie Rivera.
Three days before her body was discovered, Martinez-Allen had confronted her after tracking her to nearby Bates Canyon, where she had been with a romantic partner.
Charging documents indicate she stayed at a hotel instead of returning home after the confrontation, but security footage records her arriving at the home on East 970 North at 11 a.m. on July 31.
Other cameras in the house record her going up the stairs at 12:23 pm and her father arriving home in his truck at 2:17 pm
“Any video after (his) arrival at 2:17 p.m. was deleted or never existed due to the deactivation of the cameras after his arrival,” the charging documents allege.
That morning she had called her mother, Barbara Jimenez, to tell her that she was not feeling well and that she was going to tell work that she was too sick to go.
Jimenez, who was in daily contact with her daughter, received a final text message at 2 p.m. and grew increasingly concerned as her messages went unanswered.
Hours later she contacted her ex-husband, who at first told her that Marbella was at work, and then began avoiding her messages.
Marbella had joined the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 11, but quickly became a “dear friend and an integral part of our team,” according to Sheriff Rosie Rivera.
Martinez-Ayala used the identification of his identical twin brother, Jesus Martinez, to flee the country.
Investigators say his text messages were “more in the nature of a jealous lover than a father”
Marbella mother Barbara Jimenez desperately tried to contact her missing daughter from her home in Belize and has no doubt her ex-husband killed her.
“He replied that he was busy and would call me later,” she said. KSL.com from his home in Belize.
“He then said he was busy feeding his cats and dogs. After that he stopped responding to me.”
The frantic mother repeatedly tried to reach her daughter and eventually called her ex-husband’s brother, Jesus Martinez, who lives in Salt Lake County, and promised to stop by.
“I think he got home and it was locked, so he asked me to give him 30 more minutes,” Jimenez said.
Martinez later called back to say that police had found Marbella dead in her bed and that her brother had disappeared during a welfare check at 8 a.m.
“When Marbella’s uncle called me, he just said, ‘I’m so sorry,’ and I knew it,” Jimenez said.
“I felt like something had happened to my daughter,” Jimenez said. “And I know Hector did something to her.”
Investigators said Marbella had found a collection of her underwear in her father’s bedroom in February and that text messages revealed he was “becoming increasingly obsessed and controlling.”
“I love the look!” she wrote alongside a photo she posted on Facebook of herself relaxing on a beach less than two weeks before her death.
“Blood was observed in the victim’s mouth and there were visible nail marks on the victim’s face and neck,” the charging document states.
Martinez-Allen, pictured with Marbella, right, had moved to the U.S. from Honduras.
Under the name Hector Martinez, he posted a photo of his daughter on Facebook less than two weeks before her death.
Investigators say Marbella found a collection of her underwear in her father’s bedroom at the home they shared in Tooele five months before he died there.
‘Nail claw marks’ were found on Marbella’s face and neck, the charges say
Cell phone data suggests Martinez-Ayala, who was originally from Honduras, went to Salt Lake City International Airport after the murder and threw his daughter’s phone out the window while driving on I-80.
“He then flew to San Francisco and then to Houston,” investigators said.
‘There are no cell phone records after the defendant left Houston, but (he) used his twin brother’s ID when he landed in another country and is seen on surveillance video.
‘His whereabouts are unknown, but his last known location was outside the United States.’
He was charged in absentia on Friday with murder, two counts of obstruction of justice, harassment and unlawful possession of a bank card.
He also faces two counts of unlawful use of a bank card and unlawful possession of another person’s identification according to charges filed in 3rd District Court.
Meanwhile, a memorial service for the young MP will be held on Monday at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in her native Belize.
Tributes have poured in for the young officer from friends and colleagues as the search for his father continues.
“She was an amazing person and helper. I’m so glad I got to work with her!” wrote Andrea Barnett. “I hope she finds peace.”
Martinez-Ayala is believed to have flown from Salt Lake City before crossing the border.
The distraught teammates of the popular new recruit paid tribute to their amazing colleague.
“It was an absolute honor to work alongside you and have you as a great friend,” wrote another colleague.
‘Please rest in peace Martinez, we miss you deeply, forever and always.’
Marbella’s mother has no doubt that she lost her life at the hands of her father.
“We know he killed her,” he said.
“I just want justice for my daughter. She was beautiful and kind and had the rest of her life ahead of her.”
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