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John Edward Martinez Jr., 20, of Springer, ignored the advice of his attorney and pleaded guilty to killing a Raton man at what was supposed to be his arraignment on the charge last week, The Raton Range reported.
Martinez told state District Judge John Paternoster he wanted to “man up” and take responsibility for his actions and accept the consequences, telling the judge he had thought about his situation, talked it over with his family and believed he would be found guilty if he went to trail, The Range said.
Paternoster granted Martinez’s request and sentenced him to 45 years in prison, the paper reported.
Martinez was accused of killing Troy Ledoux, 45, of Raton at a Springer residence on Jan. 28, The Range said.
According to court documents, Martinez told police he used a revolver to shoot Ledoux six to eight times after Ledoux allegedly took crack cocaine and $70 in cash from him, the paper reported.
Martinez apologized to Ledoux’s family during the March 19 hearing, but Paternoster noted what he called Martinez’s continuing “lack of remorse,” according to The Range.
Martinez was sentenced to a mandatory 30 years in prison without parole for his guilty plea to first-degree murder and an additional 15 years for attempted armed robbery and tampering with evidence, The Range said.
11:10am 1/30/12 — Murder Suspect Says Victim Stole Drugs
A Raton man was shot and killed this weekend after he allegedly stole drugs from another man.
State Police found Troy Ledoux, 45, dead on the porch of a Springer, N.M., home after responding to a call of gunshots being fired Saturday night, according to a statement from the Department of Public Safety.
The suspect, John E. Martinez, 21 of Springer, fled the scene and was located Sunday morning by State Police.
Martinez told police that Ledoux has stolen an unknown amount of drugs from him, so he confronted and shot him, the statement said.
He was arrested and charged with an open count of murder.
