Martin Martinez was 14 years old when he was murdered more than 40 years ago while at a neighbor’s house in Denver, Colorado. And despite the efforts of local authorities, the person responsible for his death has yet to be brought to justice.
On July 21, 1976, Martin went to Elitch Gardens. He left the amusement park around 11:30 p.m. and began walking home.
It was during that time that he stopped at a former neighbor’s house, located in the 3500 block of Clay Street, where they were having a party.
According to 9News, investigators believe that Martin was standing on the front porch, confabulating with a 14-year-old boy and two girls, when a group of people, who had been kicked out of the party, ran past the house and opened fire.
One of the bullets struck Martin in the head, but officials do not believe he was the intended target.
The Greeley Daily Tribune reported that Martin was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
No one else was injured.
Martin was described by his mother as a “very funny, engaging, and well-liked young man,” who “enjoyed spending time at his home and going fishing with his grandfather.”
In 2008, a cold case detective with the Denver Police Department stated that “the original investigators found that a lot of the witnesses were not cooperative. We’re hoping that they are cooperative today.”
“Time in a cold case investigation is a friend to a homicide investigation because relationships change and suspects have new allies or their old allies are no longer protecting them.”
Although four decades have passed, the victim’s mother stated that she still wants to catch the person who murdered her son.
She said, “It gives me hope to find out who did this to me and my family cause life has been so hard without him and it doesn’t get easier.”
“It is not true that time heals because it’s never healed my heart, it’s just as broken then as it is today.”
Anyone with information regarding the unsolved murder of Martin Martinez is encouraged to contact the Denver Police Department at (720) 913-2000, or call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (720) 913-STOP (7867).
A reward of up to $2,000 may be offered for information that leads to an arrest.