Martin’s wife takes stand in Tai Chan trial
Jurors visit Las Cruces hotel that was scene of 2014 shooting
LAS CRUCES — On the second day of his retrial for first-degree murder, former Santa Fe County sheriff ’s deputy Tai Chan returned to the Las Cruces hotel where authorities said he shot and killed fellow lawman Jeremy Martin in 2014. Also Tuesday, jurors heard testimony from Martin’s wife and from a sheriff ’s major who said Martin wasn’t supposed to accompany Chan on the fateful trip that led them through Southern New Mexico.
Chan on Tuesday afternoon accompanied the 15-member jury to the Hotel Encanto for a tour of the shooting scene. Chan and Martin had checked into the hotel the afternoon before the shooting after transporting a prisoner from Santa Fe to Arizona.
Chan, 30, is accused of gunning down Martin, 29, at the upscale hotel shortly after midnight on Oct. 28, 2014, during an alcohol-fueled fight. Chan’s attorneys argue that he acted in self-defense. A deadlocked jury last year forced a mistrial in Chan’s first trial.
Jurors on Tuesday were bused from the state District Court to the hotel in two vehicles and spent less than an hour touring the lobby and seventh floor. In addition to Chan, they were joined by one of his attorneys and District Attorney Mark D’Antonio. The jurors also toured the room that Chan and Martin shared, rode the elevator Martin used after being shot five times, and viewed the stairwell where Chan was found after the shooting.
The jurors were given strict instructions not speak to any of the attorneys during the visit.
The prosecution requested the tour, arguing it would benefit jurors as they hear testimony. The hotel visit was opposed by the defense. A judge denied a similar request last year before Chan’s first trial.
Tuesday’s proceedings got underway hours earlier with opening statements by D’Antonio and Tom Clark, who is representing Chan along with John Day and Monnica Garcia.
D’Antonio offered a chronological outline of the shooting, which he said occurred around 12:20 a.m. He said Martin was shot twice in the hotel room and three times in the hallway as he ran to the elevator. He gave graphic details of Martin’s injuries, saying the five bullets “pulverized” his flesh and struck vital organs.
He alleged that Chan had intentionally killed Martin. “Shooting a man in the back is not selfdefense,” D’Antonio told the jury.
Clark told jurors that the evidence would show that Chan was defending himself when he shot Martin. He said Chan would tell jurors that Martin had threatened Chan’s life. “Tai Chan is an innocent man who acted in selfdefense,” Clark said.
The defense lawyer also said the Las Cruces Police Department “botched” the investigation at “every turn.” He pointed to a blood-soaked sheet that wasn’t tested for DNA until more than 17 months after the shooting.
After prosecutors called Martin’s wife, Sarah
Martin, to the witness stand, she testified that she had met Martin in a youth group when they were teenagers. They were married for 12 years and had four children, she said.
She described her husband as kind-hearted, friendly and wellgrounded. She also called him a “polite Christian man” and said she never saw his temper flare during their marriage. She teared up when prosecutors showed her a picture of Martin. She also paused when she was asked to identify Chan by name.
She told the jury that the last time she heard from her husband was at 11:49 p.m. on Oct. 27, about a half-hour before he was shot five times.
Maj. Gabriel Gonzales of the Santa Fe County Sheriff ’s Office told jurors about Chan and Martin’s duties at the sheriff ’s office, explaining that Martin worked on patrol and that Chan was on the SWAT team.
He said Martin was not supposed to accompany Chan on the trip to transport the prisoner to Arizona, but Chan’s partner had become sick. Gonzales said he asked Martin to assist Chan and Martin agreed. Gonzales added that it was in Martin’s character to help others.
Jurors also heard from the Las Cruces police officer who was the first to arrive at the hotel after the shooting.
The officer, Connie Heard, described in detail how she discovered Martin’s bullet-riddled body in the lobby near an elevator. She said she put Martin in the back seat of a police vehicle to take him to MountainView Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead after 1 a.m.
The final witness Tuesday was a hotel guest who was staying in a room on the seventh floor when the shooting occurred. The witness recalled how she was awakened that night by yelling and gunshots.
The trial, which resumes Wednesday, is scheduled to last until May 19.