Summary
Highlights
In 2009, Martinez murdered Joaquin Barragan in Earlimart for $8,000, using a woman as a lure. Barragan's body was found with hands bound by zip ties. During the investigation, authorities heard about 'El Mano Negra' and Martinez's connection to the name, yet lacked sufficient evidence to charge him, though a polygraph test indicated deception when he denied involvement.
In 1978, at 16, Jose Manuel Martinez witnessed firsthand the violence of the drug trade when his sister, Cecilia, was murdered. This event, coupled with a friend's request for revenge against David Bedolla for allegedly raping his sister, marked the beginning of Martinez's life as a contract killer. For $500, he committed his first murder for money, leading to a decades-long career as a hitman for Mexican drug cartels, primarily collecting debts and eliminating rivals.
Martinez was recruited by a Mexican drug cartel contact, "Mr. X," in 1982. His role often involved collecting drug debts, which quickly escalated to murder. Despite being involved in drug trafficking and appearing in multiple homicide investigations, Martinez managed to evade murder charges for decades, often due to a lack of concrete evidence and law enforcement's inability to connect the dots.
In November 2006, Martinez traveled to Florida to deal with Javier Huerta, who was accused of stealing cocaine. Martinez killed Huerta and another man, burying $150,000 found in Huerta's garden. After depositing their bodies, he flew to Alabama for his granddaughter’s birthday. Florida investigators later found a cigarette butt with DNA at the crime scene, which would eventually link Martinez to the murders years later.
In 2013, Martinez, while visiting his daughter in Alabama, decided to murder Jose Ruiz for speaking ill of his daughter. After killing Ruiz, he intimidated his daughter's partner, Jaime Romero, into silence. Romero was later arrested for Ruiz's murder, leading Martinez to contact the police to provide a false alibi. This interaction and subsequent events eventually led to Martinez’s arrest and the reopening of cold cases.
Terrified, Jaime Romero confessed to his involvement, confirming Martinez as the killer. This led to an arrest warrant for Martinez. Upon his return from Mexico, Martinez was arrested in Arizona. Surprisingly, he confessed not only to the Ruiz and Florida murders but also to over 35 other murders across multiple states, shocking detectives and initiating a widespread investigation into his decades-long killing spree. He was eventually sentenced to multiple life sentences in Alabama, California, and Florida.