Police: Relatives stole items from 3 bodies
Father of victim says other son took only some jewelry as mementos
SANTA FE — The father and brother of one of three people killed inside a house near Dixon last week have been charged with stealing items off the bodies after they discovered the triple homicide — before they called police to the scene.
Surveillance video from cameras posted at the house — which the State Police previously have said shows the three victims being shot to death by two men who have since been arrested — also caught Ezekiel Martinez, 29, of Santa Fe and his father, Robert Martinez, 70, of Dixon as they rifled through the belongings of the deceased and burgled other parts of the house, the law enforcement agency said in a news release.
But Robert Martinez, a retired logger, denies the burglary
accusations. He told the Journal in a phone interview that he did not “take anything or touch anything” at the house with the three bodies.
And the only thing he saw his son take were white plastic containers with jewelry beads that belonged to his dead brother, as a way to remember him, Martinez said.
The bodies of April Browne, 42, Kierin Guillemin, 27, and Abraham Martinez, 36 — son of Robert and brother of Ezekiel — were discovered last Wednesday night in Browne’s home in the community of Cañoncito, east of Dixon, off N.M. 68 between Española and Taos.
In a previously released statement, the State Police said Ezekiel and Robert Martinez went to the house that evening to look for Abraham because they hadn’t been able to get in touch with him and wanted to make sure he was OK. The father and son saw the three bodies through a window and called police, the State Police previously reported.
But while processing video from cameras that were found stationed in and around the house, State Police discovered a clip recorded just before officers showed up.
The video shows Ezekiel and Robert Martinez entering the bedroom where Browne, Guillemin and Abraham Martinez had been shot to death, State Police say.
“The video shows them going through a purse, wallet, and drawers and stealing items from within the residence,” the news release says. “They also steal items off the deceased bodies. After burglarizing the home, Ezekiel Martinez then calls State Police to report the homicide(s).”
A State Police arrest warrant affidavit said the video shows that the father-son team took “a tackle box of suspected drugs” and that Ezekiel removed a plastic bag from the hands of the slain Guillemin.
Robert “just watches” Ezekiel stealing items, and Ezekiel hands “a couple of items” to the father, the affidavit states.
Afterward, Ezekiel called police to report the three deaths.
Browne, Guillemin and Abraham Martinez had been killed the previous night, based on another video found at the house, the State Police reported earlier this week.
Just ‘beads’
In the phone interview, Robert Martinez said he did not see Ezekiel take anything besides the beads but wasn’t positive that his son didn’t take anything else.
“A lot of the time I was sitting in a chair with my head (down) … just shaking it, ‘Why, why, why?’ ” Robert Martinez said. “I didn’t watch him all the time, and I can’t say for sure.”
Based on the video, State Police arrested both Ezekiel and Robert Martinez on Tuesday and charged them with burglary, larceny and tampering with evidence.
Robert Martinez was released on his own recognizance because of health issues, while Ezekiel Martinez is incarcerated at the Rio Arriba County jail.
Robert Martinez acknowledged it was wrong to enter the home before calling the police. But he said he couldn’t identify his dead son from the window, and he wanted to know for sure.
He said he and Ezekiel went to Browne’s house after a friend told them there was a corpse-like smell coming from inside.
“I’m a human being,” said Robert Martinez. “I’m a person. When I couldn’t tell if it was my son or not, I could not walk away.”
“It was worth it to me to find my son,” he added. “It hurt, yeah, but at least in my heart I know he’s in a better place.”
The State Police said there’s no reason to suspect Robert and Ezekiel Martinez had any role in the triple homicide. Their case “is being treated as a separate crime,” said the news release.
“The investigation of this incident has not compromised the original homicide investigation. No further information is available at this time.”
John Powell, 34, of Ranchos de Taos, and his brother, Roger Gage, 33, of Arroyo Hondo, each has been charged with three counts of firstdegree murder in the killings.
Police say they identified them from the previously disclosed security-cam video that shows two men entering the bedroom of Browne’s house and quickly shooting all three of the victims, then stealing what investigators believe were drugs as well as other items from drawers in the room.
Son recently returned
Abraham Martinez had been back in Dixon for about a month when he died, according to his father. He said Abraham returned from Arizona to “straighten up” for his young daughter and girlfriend.
He didn’t want to say much about Abraham’s personal life, but he said his son struggled with addiction.
“Sadly,” Robert Martinez said, Abraham met April Browne shortly after coming back and agreed to move into her house because she was scared of being alone with her roommate, who he said was John Powell, one of the two men now charged in the triple homicide.
Robert Martinez said his son “chased him (Powell) off” either a few days or the day before the killings, which he said he believes were all about drugs and money.
According to Robert Martinez, Abraham went to school in Arizona to be a chef and lived and worked in various states. He described his son as someone who was respectful and went out of his way to help people.
“He was a nice guy,” he said. “He wouldn’t hurt a fly. The only reason he was down there (was) to go protect that woman.”
Browne grew up in the home where the killings took place, which area residents said was long believed to be a “drug house.” She was a high school valedictorian and had two children, but struggled with drug addiction, her family has said. Browne had two drug charges on her record.
Friends of Guillemin told the Journal last week that he had moved to New Mexico from New Jersey about five years ago. His father owned property in Truchas, and Guillemin was working at a local garlic farm.
Powell and Gage, the brothers charged in the killings, have only minor offenses on their records, mostly traffic cases.