PUEBLO — A jury has found a Pueblo murder suspect who had the victim's hand in his pocket at the time of his arrest guilty on all charges, according to the 10th Judicial District Attorney's (DA) Office.
The incident happened in January 2024 when officers from the Pueblo Police Department responded to Fountain Creek just south of Highway 47 on the north side of Pueblo. Officers say they found a dead body in the creek.
Solomon Martinez was later arrested in connection to the death. The Pueblo County Coroner has identified the victim as 47-year-old Renee Marie Portillos.
WATCH: Man arrested after woman was found dead in Pueblo's Fountain Creek
According to the DA's Office, the prosecution presented the following evidence over the 14-day trial:
- testimony
- phone records
- location data
- autopsy results
After a four-hour deliberation, Martinez was found guilty of the following charges:
- first-degree murder
- tampering with a deceased human body
- abuse of a corpse
According to the DA's Office, Martinez will serve life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Background Information
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by News5, a murder suspect in Pueblo had the victim's hand in his chest pocket when he was arrested. Martinez is facing a first degree murder charge, according to the Pueblo Police Department.
The arrest papers say police spoke with two witnesses, one of which said Martinez asked him to get rid of a body. The other told police he saw Martinez washing blood off of his hands at a car wash.
The affidavit goes on to say that dried blood was also found in Martinez's vehicle.
Martinez admitted to picking Portillos up but denied killing her and said he later dropped her off. He told police his friend borrowed his car, and he must have later found and killed her.
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