On October 17, 2022, 36-year-old Elmer Nicholas Sanchez II was fatally shot in a trailer park in Hernandez, New Mexico, after a road rage incident that began when he and his father were returning from a gas station. Family members described Sanchez as their protector and were left reeling by the sudden, violent loss.

Initial investigation by the Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Office produced an arrest of Jerrid Maestas, but four months later investigators concluded Maestas was not the shooter. Authorities identified neighbor Kevin Martinez as the actual shooter and allege there was an effort to mislead law enforcement and shift blame; body camera footage reportedly shows a relative of Martinez attempting to shield him from suspicion. At the time of the shooting Martinez was on a GPS ankle monitor awaiting trial on more than a dozen charges, including kidnapping and rape.

Martinez was arrested and charged with Sanchez’s murder and a judge found sufficient evidence at a preliminary hearing despite what was described as conflicting testimony from witnesses. Martinez also faces separate charges alleging burglary and an attempt to run over officers while a fugitive; he was later taken by a SWAT team at a hideout near Española. If anyone knew Elmer Sanchez or has information about that night, please share what can help the investigation.