Solomon Martinez: Security guard found with severed hand in pocket after being arrested for killing woman

PUEBLO, COLORADO: A Colorado private security guard reportedly had a severed hand in his coat pocket when he was arrested under the suspicion of killing and dismembering a woman, whose body was discovered discarded by a creek.

Solomon X Martinez, 26, was taken into custody last week and charged with one count of first-degree murder in the woman’s horrific slaying.

The Pueblo County Coroner’s Office will release the identity of the victim and will also perform an autopsy to determine the manner and cause of death.

The incident was a case of possible homicide

According to a news release from the Pueblo Police Department, on January 10, officers at about 3.47 pm responded to the area of Fountain Creek just south of Highway 47 after receiving reports about a possible homicide.

The first responders, upon arriving at the scene, said they located the body of an adult female who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives from the department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit took over the investigation, which officials said was believed to be a homicide.

Based on witness statements and other evidence, detectives arrested Martinez on suspicion of murder.

Additional details related to the arrest of Martinez

According to the report of The Pueblo Chieftain, Martinez at about 5 am on January 9 was spotted by his roommate at a local car wash wearing clothing that was covered in dirt and blood.

The roommate told police that Martinez used a pressure washer to clean his hands and then asked the roommate to dig a large hole about 10 feet deep for him.

The roommate then asked Martinez if he could borrow some tools, and Martinez began rummaging around in his car trunk but allegedly prohibited the roommate from getting close or looking inside.

Martinez allegedly then moved “something big” out of the way to reach the tools.

As per court documents obtained by Colorado Springs ABC affiliate KRDO, the roommate revealed that Martinez proposed a reduction of $1,000 from his debt in exchange for helping dig the hole. However, the roommate declined the offer.

“I was terrified. I was beyond terrified,” the roommate told the station when recounting his conversation with the blood-soaked Martinez. “Like, I can’t even put into words how physically scared I was.”

According to KRDO, one of the roommate’s friends placed the initial call to the police. The roommate’s friend reportedly told police that Martinez on January 9 had also approached him about digging a 10-foot hole.

He also said that he was with Martinez on that same day when the defendant stopped his car on Mohawk Road and allegedly discarded what appeared to be the body of a woman in the creek next to the road.

Martinez had asked the roommate’s friend to help him but the friend allegedly refused, even after Martinez threatened him with a gun.

The roommate’s friend reportedly claimed that the woman had been decapitated, but said he saw that the head was with the body.

The roommate’s friend took a video of the body 

Before leaving the scene, the roommate’s friend took a video of the body before covering the victim’s body with a blanket. He then showed the video to authorities.

KRDO reported that Martinez worked for a private security company run by former Pueblo County Sheriff Dan Corsentino and was on duty at the Sangre De Cristo Arts Center on the evening of January 10. 

Officers responding to the location said that before they made contact with Martinez, they overheard him saying, “I had a hand in my jacket for two days.”

Authorities said that upon placing him under arrest, they found an adult female’s hand inside a plastic grocery bag in Martinez’s left chest jacket pocket. 

A red substance that appeared to be blood was also reportedly found inside and on the outside of Martinez’s car.

During questioning, Martinez reportedly claimed that he had picked up the victim on the night of January 8 and they engaged in sexual acts. 

He claimed the victim then demanded money and he refused to pay, but said he then dropped her off safely at about 2 or 3 am on January 9.

Police reportedly noted that Martinez’s hands had visible cuts and that he appeared “deceitful” throughout the interrogation.

Martinez had no criminal record

Former Sheriff Corsentino told KRDO that Martinez had only been with the company for a few weeks and had no criminal record and passed his background check without problem before he was hired.

Martinez is currently being held at the Pueblo County Jail on a $1 million cash-only bond, records show. He will make his first court appearance on Wednesday, January 17.