PUEBLO, CO – A security guard in Colorado has been accused of a gruesome murder, with police alleging that he was found in possession of the victim’s severed hand upon his arrest.
Solomon Martinez, 26, has been charged with first-degree murder following the discovery of a woman’s body in Fountain Creek on January 10. The victim, identified as 47-year-old Renee Marie Portillos by the Pueblo County coroner, was allegedly murdered by Martinez.
Martinez was apprehended on January 11 at his place of employment, a local security company, after police received information about the body in the creek and his suspected involvement. This information was detailed in an arrest affidavit obtained by local media.
According to the affidavit, Martinez’s roommate encountered him at a car wash on the morning of January 9. The roommate noticed dirt on Martinez’s clothes and blood on his hands, which Martinez proceeded to clean with a pressure washer. Martinez reportedly asked his roommate to dig a 10-foot hole for him.
The roommate also reported to police that he had asked to borrow tools from Martinez but was denied access to Martinez’s trunk. He observed Martinez struggling with a large object while retrieving the tools.
A second witness, a friend of the roommate, also reported to police that Martinez had repeatedly expressed the need to dig a 6 to 10-foot deep hole. This witness also claimed to have seen Martinez dragging what appeared to be a decapitated woman’s body to the creek later that day.
This second witness alleges that Martinez asked for his assistance and threatened him with a firearm when he refused. The witness recorded a video of the body for self-protection, which he later showed to several people, including the police.
Upon Martinez’s arrest, police found a hand, believed to belong to the victim, in a plastic bag in his jacket pocket. Despite having the hand and apparent bloodstains in his vehicle, Martinez blamed the woman’s death on the witness who had recorded the video.
After a three-hour interview with Martinez, police concluded that he was being deceitful due to inconsistencies between his account and the evidence they had gathered. Martinez is currently being held in the Pueblo County jail on a $1,000,000 cash bond.