Latest news with #CarlosMartinez
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Martinez found guilty in November shooting
GOSHEN — After six days of trial, accused murderer Joshua P. Martinez, 24, was found guilty Monday of the Nov. 3, 2024, shooting of Romulo Reyes Osuna and Carlos Martinez. Elkhart police arrived on scene around 4:40 a.m. Nov. 3, 2024, for a shooting in the front yard of a property in the 700 block of C.R. 3. There they found Reyes, 33, of Elkhart, who died at the scene from a gunshot wound; and Carlos Martinez, 38, of South Bend, also suffering from gunshot wounds in the backyard. Carlos was transported to Elkhart General Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Using the Flock surveillance system, police identified a vehicle at the scene that arrived around 3 a.m., of which Joshua P. Martinez was the registered driver, according to probable cause affidavit. During police investigation, Joshua Martinez reportedly told police he was at a Halloween party. A while later, the Flock camera shows a man running toward a vehicle as the vehicle is unlocked by a key fob, with lights flashing. Followed closely behind are three other men, two identified as Romulo Reyes Osuna and Carlos Martinez, police reported. As they arrive at the vehicle, the surveillance camera shows a muzzle flash and Carlos Martinez falling to the ground and Reyes Osuna attempting to run east before also falling to the ground with muzzle flashes, the affidavit reads. The third individual is then seen running to the passenger side of the vehicle. As the vehicle leaves the area, the camera shows it running over Carlos several times, the affidavit reads. Carlos Martinez identified Joshua P. Martinez from a photo line-up as the shooter, and police were able to collect a part broken from the Honda and a 9mm shell casing from the scene, according to the probable cause affidavit. Officers with the Plymouth Police Department confirmed that Martinez's vehicle was missing the part and noted blood on the front of the vehicle, reports read. Carlos claimed Joshua said prior that he was going to shoot everyone, the affidavit reads. And when Reyes Osuna went running toward the vehicle to stop Joshua, he went to help but Joshua already had the gun in his hand when Reyes Osuna attempted to hold the door closed to keep him in the car, the affidavit reads. The jury found Martinez guilty on both counts and sentencing was scheduled for June 19.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Defendant claims self-defense in fatal encounter
GOSHEN — A man on trial for firing seven shots at two men, killing one and wounding the other before running him over with his car, acted in self-defense, his attorney argued. Joshua Peter Martinez, 24, is charged with murder and attempted murder in the shooting of Romulo Jesus Reyes and Carlos Martinez on Nov. 3. He allegedly opened fire after being kicked out of a Halloween party at a north Elkhart auto shop. Reyes died at the scene despite life-saving efforts from first responders, while Carlos Martinez was hospitalized for gunshot wounds and injuries suffered when Joshua Martinez struck him with his vehicle while fleeing. Investigators said they found a vehicle in Joshua Martinez's possession that matched the one that fled the scene, and which had blood stains on the front. 'They took blood and tissue samples from the wheel wells and the front of the car and sent it off to a lab to be tested,' Elkhart County Prosecutor Vicki Becker told jurors in opening statements Tuesday morning. 'It probably won't shock you to hear it was Carlos. Pieces of Carlos.' She told jurors the shooting occurred after a fight at the party earlier in the night. Joshua Martinez wasn't involved but was later pushed out of the party and told he needed to leave. According to his attorney, he was kicked out due to a case of mistaken identity. Joshua Martinez and a friend who came to the party with him both walked back to their car, leading to a scene that jurors were told they would see unfold in security camera footage. Becker said Reyes followed them to make sure they would leave. She said Joshua Martinez took off running at one point, which prompted Reyes to call for Carlos Martinez while running in pursuit so quickly that he lost his own shoes. 'Something caused them significant concern,' Becker said. 'The evidence will show they were trying to stop him from getting a gun. They were trying to protect.' Joshua Martinez reached the gun in his car and opened fire, striking Reyes in the chest and Carlos Martinez in the neck. She said he shot Reyes again in the back after he got back up and tried to flee, then ran him over multiple times while driving away. They returned to his friend's house in Plymouth, where investigators later questioned them and found the vehicle, a black Honda Civic, as well as a handgun which they also tested. Becker said Joshua Martinez mentioned the accident but not the shooting when questioned about the previous night. 'We're not sure what was going through his head at that point. We'll probably never know. But the fact of the matter is, he lied,' she said. 'When the defendant used a gun, he knowingly killed Romulo, and had a specific intent to kill when he shot a deadly weapon at Carlos Martinez and then ran him over multiple times. That is what the evidence will show.' 'He's traumatized' Joshua Martinez's attorney, Donald Schmid, told jurors that he was confronted by a large group of people as soon as he was ejected from the party. Schmid said Joshua Martinez was again the victim of mistaken identity as the crowd of around 10 people, who had been kicked out after the earlier fight, made threats to assault and kill him. 'They said in Spanish, 'Te vamos a matar,' which means, 'We're going to kill you,'' Schmid said. He said a terrified Joshua Martinez and his friend just wanted to leave at that point but were followed to their car. Schmid questioned why the group involved in the fight weren't told to leave or why the two unarmed shooting victims would have followed him if they believed he was going for a gun. Reyes reached the car and smashed the door into Joshua Martinez, according to Schmid. He said Martinez was terrified as he opened fire, and could have struck his own friend who was still approaching the car. 'That's how quickly he had to act to defend himself,' Schmid said. 'He's upset, he's traumatized, he has tunnel vision.' He said Joshua Martinez had no obligation under the law to call the police after the shooting if he believed he acted in self-defense. He said the investigators who showed up at their door asked vague questions and that Martinez chose to use his right to remain silent and wait until he could get legal advice. 'After you hear all the evidence and consider it, I will ask you to uphold the fundamental right to self-defense,' Schmid told jurors. 'This was a tragic incident. It shouldn't have happened. And it wouldn't have happened if my client had not been chased.'
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
Suspect in double shooting headed to trial
GOSHEN — A man who faces murder and attempted murder charges in a Halloween party shooting is headed to trial Monday. Joshua Peter Martinez, 24, is accused of murder and attempted murder in a Nov. 3 shooting outside a north Elkhart auto shop. He allegedly opened fire while attending a party, killing one man and leaving another with multiple gunshot wounds. Martinez was arrested on Nov. 7 after police interviewed witnesses, viewed videos of the shooting and collected evidence from the scene that included a side mirror cap belonging to a Honda. Martinez allegedly had a black Honda Civic at his residence that was missing a side mirror cap and that had blood on multiple spots on the front. Attorneys expect a lengthy trial with multiple people lined up to take the stand, Elkhart County Circuit Court Judge Michael Christofeno learned Thursday. 'There are a lot of witnesses in this case, so it's possible we'll need a sixth day of trial,' Elkhart County Prosecutor Vicki Becker said. 'We're all on board for some long days in trial.' Martinez's lawyer, Donald Schmid, said there's also a lot of footage of the crime for jurors to view. 'I've looked at scores of videos, and I'm still seeing things for the first time,' he said. Christofeno, who normally has a spate of hearings on Wednesday and Thursday, told the attorneys that he may be able to push some of those off to leave more time for the trial. He expressed a hope that the trial doesn't extend past Friday. 'I want to get this case done,' he said. 'I can't imagine we'll have to go on Saturday. Number one, because the jury will end up hating both of you.' Elkhart police responded to the shooting at 754 C.R. 3 at around 4:40 a.m. They found one victim, Romulo Jesus Reyes Osuna, in the parking lot suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Reyes Osuna died despite officers' attempts at life-saving measures. An autopsy the next day preliminarily ruled the death to be a homicide. Carlos Martinez was also found in the parking lot suffering from several gunshot wounds and was transported to Elkhart General Hospital in critical condition. It was later learned that he had also been struck by the shooting suspect's vehicle as it fled. Carlos Martinez told investigators that he heard someone at the party say he was going to get a gun and shoot everyone while running to a Honda Civic parked nearby. Carlos Martinez said Reyes Osuna was running after the man and asked him to come help. Carlos Martinez said he could hear Reyes Osuna telling the suspect to calm down as he reached the car. He said the suspect had a gun in his hand and Reyes Osuna tried to push the car door closed to keep him inside, according to police. Carlos Martinez said he remembered being shot and then run over by the car. Police say security cameras captured the moment the two victims were shot. They could be seen following a man, who was later identified as Joshua P. Martinez based on height and appearance, as he ran to the Civic before multiple muzzle flashes are seen. Carlos Martinez fell to the ground after the first shot and Reyes Osuna was shot while trying to run away, according to police. The shooter could be seen getting in the car and driving away, running over Carlos Martinez several times in the process.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sensory Room offers space to decompress at giant Palisades Center mall
WEST NYACK - The fourth-floor storefront in the Palisades Center offers a sometimes rare commodity in a bright, buzzy place like a behemoth megamall — space to wind down. The Sensory Room, just outside the mall entrance to Target, holds its ribbon-cutting next month. But it's open now for families who need a break during a visit to a big, loud and sometimes busy mall. The space offers 1,000 square feet of sensory solitude in a 2.36 million-square-foot megamall. "If a kid is having a reaction, struggling with regulation because the mall is so overwhelming, they can come here, sort of relax," said Carlos Martinez, executive director of BRIDGES, Rockland County's nonprofit independent living center, which supports individuals with disabilities so they can make key decisions about their lives. For many people — including those with anxiety disorders or developmental disabilities and children on the autism spectrum — noisy places and certain lighting can prompt sensory overload. Sensory rooms are spaces that offer a soothing environment, often with various kinds of equipment and interactive activities to calm a person who may be stressed. Other large venues offer sensory rooms — like the Mall of America in Minnesota, Newark Airport and Barclay's Center in Brooklyn. Martinez said he dived into research and tapped experts to create a space with a variety of ways to unwind, since different people may accomplish that in different ways. That variety is included in the overall design, Martinez said, with nature-focused art and activities up front and a darker space-themed environment toward the back. "There are so many things that I love about this place," Martinez said as he absentmindedly patted a rough-textured square of grass-like plastic, a common sensory-integration tool. Tactile and other tools include a giant pegboard similar to the old Lite-Brite toy; a ball pit, elevated on ropes, which allows a small child to sit inside and spin; and a life-size pin-art board. Water features flow in a soothing pattern; wall displays and floor tiles light up. Weighted blankets are also available. Several seating areas offer chairs that practically enclose a person to block out a lot of stimuli. Rocking chairs are going to be added, Martinez said. A book nook has kids' books provided by Rockland libraries; many address topics like autism spectrum. The Sensory Room is part of BRIDGES' limited liability corporation, Connections. The LLC also operates the Independence Cafes, with locations at BRIDGES' headquarters on the second floor of the Palisades Center, at the county courthouse in New City and in Building A of the county's Yeager Health Complex in Pomona. 'Girl AGain': Westchester, Rockland nonprofits team up to polish job skills for people with disabilities A key goal of Connections is to offer people employment, Martinez said. "We will support our clients in any way, shape or form." Monies used from sensory room admission ($15 per 30-minute visit once the room officially opens) is used to support BRIDGES programming. The BRIDGES Sensory Room Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening celebration takes place at 10 a.m. Friday, April 4 at the Palisades Center, on the fourth floor adjacent to Target's mall entrance. Dignitaries and the public are invited. Hours: BRIDGES Sensory Room is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Admission: The room is free until its April 4 grand opening, then it's $15 per half-hour for a child-caregiver unit. Who can use it: The sensory room is open to children under 18; every child must be accompanied by a caregiver. This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Palisades Center: Kids with autism anxiety can get sensory room break
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Yahoo
CIRCUIT COURT: Plymouth man's murder trial May 5
GOSHEN — Elkhart County Circuit Court Judge Michael Christofeno told accused murderer Joshua P. Martinez that it is likely he will be going to trial May 5, and there will not be a continuance. Joshua P. Martinez, 24, of Plymouth is accused in the shooting death of Romulo Reyes Osuna and the shooting of Carlos Martinez on Nov. 3. Elkhart police reported that around 4:40 a.m. officers arrived at a shooting scene in the front yard of a property in the 700 block of C.R. 3. There they found Reyes, 33, of Elkhart, who died at the scene from a gunshot wound; and Carlos Martinez, 38, of South Bend, also suffering from gunshot wounds in the backyard. Carlos was transported to Elkhart General Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Using the Flock surveillance system, police identified a vehicle at the scene that arrived around 3 a.m., of which Joshua P. Martinez was the registered driver, according to probable cause affidavit. During police investigation, Joshua Martinez reportedly told police he was at a Halloween party. A while later, the Flock camera shows a man running toward a vehicle as the vehicle is unlocked by a key fob, with lights flashing. Followed closely behind are three other men, two identified as Romulo Reyes Osuna and Carlos Martinez, police reported. As they arrive at the vehicle, the surveillance camera shows a muzzle flash and Carlos Martinez falling to the ground and Reyes Osuna attempting to run east before also falling to the ground with muzzle flashes, the affidavit reads. The third individual is then seen running to the passenger side of the vehicle. As the vehicle leaves the area, the camera shows it running over Carlos several times, the affidavit reads. Carlos Martinez identified Joshua P. Martinez from a photo line-up as the shooter, and police were able to collect a part broken from the Honda and a 9mm shell casing from the scene, according to the probable cause affidavit. Officers with the Plymouth Police Department confirmed that Martinez's vehicle was missing the part and noted blood on the front of the vehicle, reports read. Carlos claimed Joshua said prior that he was going to shoot everyone, the affidavit reads. And when Reyes Osuna went running toward the vehicle to stop Joshua, he went to help but Joshua already had gun in his hand when Reyes Osuna attempted to hold the door closed to keep him in the car, the affidavit reads. During Thursday's court proceedings, a trial status conference was also scheduled for May 1. VENCE N. ALLEN A man charged with a string of burglaries was sentenced by plea agreement during Elkhart County Circuit Court on Thursday. According to a probable cause affidavit, police were initially called to Speedway, 1906 Lincolnway East, Goshen, on Jan. 3, 2024, for a report of a suspicious person who had gotten out of a car and began running east toward Lippert Components Plant 50. At the scene, police were able to confirm that the vehicle had been used during another burglary on Dec. 28, 2023, and that other officers nearby were on the lookout for the car after a burglary at Forest River Plant 80, 2780 College Ave., directly east of the Lippert plant, the report reads. Officers there found a man inside the fence, who reportedly fled from them. Scrap wire had also been thrown over the fence. Police found the man, identified as Vence N. Allen, 62, by using a K9. A video from Forest River showed the same man moving wire between the building and the fence line, the affidavit reads. Allen was also identified as the suspect in the Dec. 28 burglary by BMV photo, according to the affidavit. Allen pleaded guilty to Count 2, theft, a Level 6 felony, and to being a habitual criminal offender. He was sentenced to three years at the Indiana Department of Corrections suspended on probation. ARMANDO MARQUEZ A man accused of raping a family member as a teen had his jury trial continued to July 7 during Elkhart County Superior Court 3 proceedings on Thursday. The 9-year-old victim told school staff on Nov. 19 that Armando Marquez had touched her inappropriately while the class was learning about safe and unsafe touches, a probable cause affidavit reads. During an interview the victim said, at the time the family member was still in high school, though he has since graduated. She also told police that he took photos of her and that it had happened three or four times, stating he'd bribe her with toys to take off her clothes but never actually gave her a toy, the affidavit reads. The victim also told investigators that he'd raped her on several of those occasions, court documents show. Marquez allegedly admitted to the allegations and reportedly said it happened several times, but he stopped because he knew it was wrong, felt bad and was about to be an adult. A pretrial conference is scheduled for June 26. KAWAN T. HENDRIX A man charged with kidnapping a woman he was in an intimate relationship with had an additional pretrial conference scheduled during Elkhart County Superior Court 3 proceedings on Thursday. Police said, on May 30, Kawan T. Hendrix attacked a woman with after becoming angry about an argument over AirPods at Old Farm Apartments. The woman told police Hendrix struck her face and prevented her from calling police, a probable cause affidavit reads. He reportedly grabbed her keys, phones and purse and pulled her to the car by her arm and forced her into her car, telling her if she didn't go with him, he'd just take the car himself. They were driving on U.S. 20 toward South Bend when the woman saw officers on the side of the road and attempted to honk the horn several times to get their attention, but Hendrix reportedly pushed her hand away. He also allegedly used his phone and threatened to call other people to give them the address of her home. Arriving on Olive Street in South Bend, Hendrix gave the woman back all of her belongings and her vehicle, the affidavit reads. Hendrix's additional pretrial conference is scheduled for April 3. CHARLES A. BELL JR. A man accused in an Elkhart stabbing had his jury trial continued from April 7 to June 30 during Elkhart County Circuit Court proceedings Thursday. Charles Bell Jr. is the accused. Elkhart police responded to a stabbing at 5:24 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Marathon Gas Station, 1218 S. Main St., Elkhart. On scene, they found a man leaning against the outside of the business with a stab wound to the lower back. The victim said he was stabbed at Energy Oil across the street and the man took his backpack and laptop. An officer went to that gas station to look for a scene and review surveillance footage and there, a customer told him the suspect had just left the store as he'd come in. A foot pursuit ensued after the officer attempted to get the man to stop but he did not comply. The officer caught up to the man in the 1300 block of Eden Street trying to pass through a hole in a fence and tased him to apprehend him. Retracing his steps, the officer found a keyboard, glove, and knife with paracord around the handle, According to the probable cause affidavit, surveillance footage showed the suspect, identified as Charles Bell Jr., chase the victim from the front of Energy Oil to the middle of Main Street with a knife in hand, enter into an altercation and then come back with the victim's backpack and a knife in his hand. He went back to the gas station, went through the backpack and took out the keyboard, threw it away, and took off his black sweatshirt revealing only a white shirt, the affidavit reads. At the police station, Bell said during an interview that he knew the victim and he owed him money from earlier in the evening, that he went out looking for him, found him at the gas station and took out his knife to talk to him about the money he was owed at which time the victim ran, the affidavit reads. Bell allegedly claimed the stabbing was an accident, but he took the backpack because he believed the money was in it. The victim, according to the affidavit, claimed that he went to the gas station to sell it and then Bell came around the corner chasing him. Bell reportedly said he was going to kill him, and when Bell caught up to him he reportedly told him he was going to take all his stuff, and that he was going to die, the affidavit reads. At the hospital, the victim's kidney, spleen and part of his pancreas had to be removed and he was put on life support overnight for life-saving measures. Bell's trial status conference is scheduled for May 29. SAMUEL L. LAFOLLETTE, TIMOTHY A. GIBSON, and TIMOTHY S. WARREN Three men accused of burglarizing an abandoned building in Elkhart appeared in court on Thursday. Timothy S. Warren, Timothy A. Gibson, and Samuel L. Lafollette are accused. Police were called to 2503 W. Mishawaka Road, Elkhart, on Nov. 14, after an AEP worker reported she heard banging coming from inside the building and the door was open but the building was supposed to be vacant. The officer who arrived on scene went to the open door and waited for back up, but noticed the door opened a little more and then began to close, so he pulled it open and a man who claimed to be Timothy Gibson was standing in the doorway, the probable cause affidavit reads. Gibson told the officer that he worked there, and was cleaning up the building for Amit Shah, as an employee of his with Green Stream, and that the building was about to be condemned, the affidavit reads. The man also allegedly claimed he was with another man, Timothy Shay, and said he said they had a key. The officer called for others inside the building to exit and the other man, later identified as Timothy Warren, 43, of Michigan, reportedly fled out the southern door and west toward Best Avenue where he was apprehended. A vehicle registered to Samuel L. Lafollette was found in the building, the affidavit reads. Lafollette allegedly claimed he wasn't even in the building or involved in any way, but that someone used his vehicle. The property manager said no one had been granted permission inside the building, but confirmed that Shah owned the building, and Shah confirmed that Gibson worked for him but was fired and never had permission to be on the property, the affidavit reads. Within the truck found inside the building, police found $3,000 in copper and $200 worth of fire extinguishers. During a pretrial conference and bond hearing, public defender Matt Johnson said due to several heart complications and having issues with medications at the jail, Lafollette needs to get out and see his doctor. A resident of a senior living community, Johnson said that including his medical problems, Lafollette is not a flight risk. The state argued that while he's not a flight risk, Lafollette's extensive criminal history makes him 'a menace.' During Elkhart County Circuit Court on Thursday, all three men separately saw their jury trials continued to June 30. Gibson, however, did not appear, and so it was requested to have a bondsman produce him on April 24. GERSON A. PORTILLO VALENCIA A man accused of robbing a gas station in Elkhart pleaded guilty during Elkhart County Circuit Court on Thursday. Gerson A. Portillo Valencia, 25, is accused of holding up a Rebel gas station at 3200 Toledo Road in Elkhart at 6 a.m. Feb. 2. The man reportedly purchased a few items, but, according to the probable cause affidavit, then told the cashier to give him all the money and threatened her with a gun. He allegedly took a total of around $186. Camera footage showed that the man had entered and left from the northeast side of the building, and the cashier told police he'd been in the day before to buy cigarettes, offering a birth date from a license not issued by the state, and noted his California license plate, which people were able to find on the camera footage, the report reads. Police said they tracked using the Flock system to Benham Avenue south of Third Street in Elkhart. Officers went to the area and found a similar vehicle behind a home in the 200 block of Middlebury Street with two men inside, the affidavit reads. The gun was reportedly seen on the center console. Police handcuffed Portillo Valencia, and also found the items the cashier said the robbery suspect had purchased. A homeowner said he did not know the men or the vehicle. Portillo Valencia allegedly admitted the robbery to police. According to the affidavit, he said he didn't go in with the plan, but once he was alone in the store, decided to attempt it because he was low on cash. Portillo Valencia pleaded guilty to armed robbery, a Level 3 felony, on Thursday. Sentencing is scheduled for April 10. Due to his immigration status, Portillo Valencia is at risk of Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation or deportation. EDUARDO A. RUEDA JR. One of two teens associated with a Twin Pines armed robbery in the winter of 2023 in Goshen saw his trial reset from April 7 to June 30. Eduardo Rueda and Johnathan Martinez are accused of an armed robbery in Twin Pines Mobile Home Park in Goshen on Feb. 2, 2023. According to a probable cause affidavit, the victim, 16, had made an Instagram post selling a PlayStation 5, which Rueda responded to with interest in the purchase. Rueda allegedly went to the teen's home and the two of them were outside discussing the transaction when a white Chevrolet Silverado with no license plate pulled up and a man in a ski mask exited the vehicle and pointed a gun at him and took the PlayStation. The white truck was later linked by police to Martinez, the report reads. Investigators found surveillance footage that led them to believe that Rueda and Martinez had met earlier in the afternoon at Martin's Supermarket, 3800 Mishawaka Road, the affidavit reads. Police also reportedly found evidence of communications between the two via SnapChat as they drove in their separate vehicles from Martin's to Twin Pines, and a SnapChat image to a group chat including Rueda of a PlayStation and gun in the Martinez' passengers' seat and announcing to the chat the successful robbery, the probable cause affidavit reads. It also, by video, led investigators to believe the two met up and transferred the gun and game system to Rueda's vehicle at Hobby Lobby parking lot, and Rueda reportedly set the robbery up. In July, Martinez was sentenced to 12 years at the Indiana Department of Corrections with five years suspended on reporting probation for armed robbery, a Level 3 felony. On Thursday, Rueda's attorney Mark Doty said he's confident they'll be able to resolve the case but asked to postpone the April 7 jury trial and also schedule a further proceedings for May 15. Rueda's jury trial was moved to June 30 with trial status conference May 29.
