A SUSPECT charged in connection with the brutal murder of a ten-year-old girl who was raped, strangled, and stabbed to death has been convicted. Fabian Gonzales, 37, was found guilty of child abuse resulting in the 2016 death of Victoria Martens whose body was dismembered before being hidden in a burning blanket in a bathtub.
AP:Associated PressFabian Gonzales has been found guilty of multiple charges relating to the death of 10-year-old Victoria Martens '/ '
Police determined that Victoria was tragically raped before she was strangled and stabbed to death in 2016
AP:Associated PressGonzales' cousin Jessica Kelley said she was with Victoria at the time of her death when a Mexican man came into the house and murdered the girl '/ '
AP:Associated PressVictoria's mother Michelle Martens was also a prime suspect, but investigators determined that she left the house to buy drugs at the time of the girl's death '/ ' Judge Cindy Leos said Gonzales will face sentencing in two to three months. Without conviction, Gonzales faces between 18 and 40.5 years in prison according to prosecutors from the Bernalillo County District Attorney's Office, KRQE reported. Victoria, 10, was brutally murdered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in August 2016, according to KRQE. Investigators said Victoria was injected with methamphetamine, sexually assaulted, strangled, and stabbed to death. read more sun stories
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JEALOUS RAGE Influencer 'hired thugs to choke ex-boyfriend to death after being dumped' Bernalillo County District Attorney Raul Torrez said the verdict ...marks the close of one chapter... in the case six years after Victoria's death. Gonzales' conviction comes after a years-long trial that named multiple potential suspects. Victoria's mom Michelle Martens was initially named alongside then-boyfriend Gonzales and his cousin, Jessica Kelley, as the prime suspects in the girl's murder. However, the case was blown open in 2018 when DNA from an unknown male assailant \- a fourth person \- was found on Victoria's remains. Most read in News WAR GAMES Chinese drills INVADE Taiwan waters fuelling WW3 fears during Pelosi visit DEADLY RAMPAGE Shock past of 'knifeman who shared posts about killing before tubing attack' DEATH PLUNGE Pilot's chilling words reveal what happened before flight instructor's death TUBING HORROR 'Killer says he stabbed teen to death & hurt 4 others' in fight over a PHONE SPECTATOR SCARE Chaos at AAU Junior Olympic Games with screaming kids seen fleeing in panic RISKY MOVE Brittney Griner inmate swap with Russia is 'like negotiating with hostage taker' Cellphone data also showed that Martens and Gonzales were not in the home at the time of Victoria's death. As a result, the murder charges against them both were dropped. The murder charges were also later dropped against Kelley when she plead no contest to other charges including reckless abuse of a child resulting in death. Meanwhile, prosecutors accused Gonzales of attempting to conceal Victoria's death by dismembering her body after he and Martens left her alone with Kelley to allegedly buy drugs and returning to find her dead. Prosecutors contend that Gonzales' lifestyle led to Victoria's death. ...Today has been a long time coming,... Torrez said after the ruling. ...But we committed to you years ago that we wouldn't stop until we found justice and that's what we're going to continue to do.... ...OVERWHELMED JURY' The defense attorney Stephen Aarons said he was disappointed with the outcome and will appeal the jury's decision, KRQE reported. ...I just think the horror of the case, (the jury was) ready to rule within a couple hours,... Aarons said. The defense attorney said he believes the DNA evidence should have exonerated Gonzales. ...It's hard to get past your emotions in a case like this, and I think those emotions overwhelmed this jury,... Aarons said. He was also highly critical of Jessica Kelley's testimony, contending that she is solely responsible for Victoria's death. ...She's probably laughing right now,... Aarons said of Kelley. FOURTH PERSON AT SCENE During her testimony, Kelley claimed that an unidentified man with a ...Mexican accent... walked into the home when she and Victoria were there alone. She claimed that the man killed Victoria and threatened her and her children. Kelley added that the man also said they had to destroy the evidence of his murder. She admitted to having smoked methamphetamine for hours and had become increasingly "paranoid" in the hours before Victoria's death. Gonzales' defense maintained that Kelley alone killed and dismembered Victoria. They have claimed she acted alone and tried to keep her actions from him and Victoria's mother. Gonzales was found guilty of multiple charges including one count of reckless child abuse resulting in death, several evidence tampering charges, and a conspiracy charge. He will face sentencing in two to three months. Gonzales faces between 18 and 40.5 years in prison, according to prosecutors. Read More on The US Sun
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blame game Today's Hoda admits she's in constant 'fear of being fired' because of Savannah ...Our legislature has recognized that children are the most vulnerable people in our population and they need to be protected,... said prosecutor James Grayson. ...Any member of society who puts a child in danger can be prosecuted, and here he put Victoria in danger, and that's why the jury, after carefully weighing the evidence, they found him guilty....
