Suspect in September homicide faces new charges, held without bond
A police officer found 37-year-old Colin Gonzales lying on his side in an alleyway between Grand Avenue and Railroad Avenue Sept. 4. It was just after 2 p.m. when the officer responded to a call about a gunshot in the area, and by the time the officer arrived, Gonzales wasn’t breathing and he was bleeding from his right temple, according to court records.
Investigators quickly obtained video from surveillance cameras in the area, and according to police, much of the shooting was captured by those cameras, and while police continued investigating near the alleyway, officers spotted 42-year-old Joseph S. “Jo Jo” Martinez walking near the area, dressed in clothing that matched what they’d seen the shooter in the video wearing.
Surveillance camera footage from nearby businesses showed Gonzales riding a bicycle in the alleyway around 2 p.m. that Friday afternoon, according to court records. He can be seen getting off the bike, propping it against the wall of a building, then getting into a silver car that had stopped in the alleyway.
A shirtless Martinez then approached the vehicle, opened the passenger side door, moved “real close” to Gonzales, then pulled his lifeless body from the car and dumped it on the ground, according to a statement of probable cause filed in Magistrate Court. Police allege Martinez tucked something into his shorts, and then got into the driver’s seat and drove away as the car’s right front wheel “pushed Mr. Gonzales’ body to the side.”
A forensic pathologist with the Office of the Medical Investigator conducted an autopsy on Sept. 5, and ruled Gonzales’ death a homicide from a gunshot wound to the head “at close range,” according to court records.
The investigation
Police had the area near Grand and Railroad blocked off for hours as officers and detectives investigated Gonzales’ death.
One witness told police that Martinez and Gonzales had been arguing in front of a building moments before the shooting. That witness told police the shooter’s nickname was “Jo Jo,” according to the probable cause statement.
Investigators then saw Martinez walking near the railroad tracks, about a quarter mile from where Gonzales had been found dead. Martinez was carrying a full can of beer, and was dressed like the shooter seen in the video: no shirt, jean shorts and a black baseball hat.
Police detained Martinez and questioned him at the Las Vegas Police Department. While detained, investigators obtained a warrant for the clothing Martinez was wearing, and officers located dried blood on the jean shorts, according to court records. After being advised of his constitutional rights, Martinez declined to answer investigators’ questions.
Just before 9 that evening, investigators located a silver 2007 Chevrolet Malibu parked near the San Jose Cemetery, on the city’s west side. The car matched the one seen on video in the alleyway, and investigators filed for a search warrant and impounded the car.
Investigators obtained the search warrant on Sept. 6. Inside, they located more blood, a hospital bracelet with Martinez’s name printed on it and multiple syringes — one contained heroin, according to court records and testimony. The vehicle also had damage to the passenger side that matched damage to the car seen on video. Behind the vehicle, investigators located a footprint that matched Martinez’s footwear seized with the warrant.
Held without bond
Prosecutors filed a motion Sept. 10 asking that Martinez be held without bond until trial. The motion stated that Martinez posed “a danger to the community,” and outlined that Martinez had previous convictions for voluntary manslaughter and attempted robbery, has failed to appear for court on several occasions and twice absconded from parole or probation officers.
District Court Judge Gerald Baca granted the motion Sept. 17, ordering Martinez held without bond until trial.
The criminal charges against Martinez have been amended a number of times since his Sept. 4 arrest when he was initially charged with first-degree murder, and tampering with evidence. A Sept. 11 amendment added charges of possession of firearm by felon, and possession of heroin.
Prosecutors also allege Martinez threatened someone who said they’d heard him confess to killing Gonzales, and added a charge of intimidation of a witness in a Sept. 16 amendment, according to court records.
The case was moved to District Court on Sept. 28, and two days later, Martinez entered a plea of “not guilty” to all the charges against him: first degree-murder, tampering with evidence, possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a controlled substance. The plea sets the stage for Martinez to go to trial, but a trial date has not yet been set.
