PUEBLO, CO – A chilling crime has unfolded in Colorado, with a security guard now facing first-degree murder charges. Solomon Martinez, 26, was arrested with a severed hand in his pocket, thought to belong to a woman whose body was found in a local creek.
The body of 47-year-old Renee Marie Portillos was discovered in Fountain Creek on January 10. Following a tip-off about his possible involvement in the crime, Martinez was arrested at his workplace, a security company, the next day.
According to an arrest affidavit, Martinez’s roommate encountered him at a car wash early on January 9. He noticed Martinez’s clothes were dirty and his hands were stained with blood, which he was attempting to wash off. The roommate also reported that Martinez had asked for help to dig a 10-foot hole.
The roommate further informed police that he had requested to borrow some tools from Martinez. However, Martinez wouldn’t allow him to retrieve the tools from his car trunk. He noticed Martinez struggling with a large object while getting the tools out, the affidavit stated.
Another witness, a friend of the roommate, also reported that Martinez repeatedly expressed a need to dig a deep hole on January 9. This witness claimed to have seen Martinez dragging what appeared to be a decapitated woman’s body towards the creek later that day.
The witness alleged that Martinez, wielding a handgun, asked for his help but was refused. The witness later filmed the body as a form of self-protection, which he showed to several individuals, including the roommate and the police.
Upon arresting Martinez, a hand, believed to belong to the victim, was found inside a plastic bag in his jacket pocket. Despite the damning evidence, Martinez attempted to shift the blame onto the witness who had filmed the body and reported the crime to the police.
After a lengthy interrogation, police concluded that Martinez was being deceptive due to discrepancies between his statements and the evidence they had gathered. Martinez is currently being held at the Pueblo County jail with a cash bond set at $1,000,000.