Bio

Cody James Martinez was born on December 2, 1981. 

Murder Story

On June 12, 2003, Cody James Martinez was at a friend's house when another friend arrived with victim Francisco Aguilar. Martinez and his friend, Jonathan Summey-Montano, planned to rob Aguilar. They decided to joke with him but then quickly turned violent. Martinez punched Aguilar and continued to assault him for several minutes.

They took Aguilar to the kitchen, forcing him to lay on his stomach. Martinez and his friends kicked him repeatedly. Afterward, they directed two others to move a car to the back of the house. While the car was moved, Martinez went back to the kitchen with a shotgun and struck Aguilar in the head with the weapon.

Once Aguilar was incapacitated, Martinez and Summey-Montano bound his hands and feet. They took his shoes, socks, money, and jewelry, and then placed him in the trunk of their vehicle. They drove to Aguilar's apartment, where they stole items like computer equipment, liquor, jewelry, drugs, and music CDs.

They experienced car trouble and had to push the vehicle to a nearby gas station. After trying to fix it, they called a friend for assistance. When the friend arrived, they transferred Aguilar to another vehicle and drove him to a remote area near the Tucson airport.

In the desert, they forced Aguilar out of the vehicle. Martinez and Summey-Montano physically assaulted him further. At this point, Martinez shot Aguilar twice with the shotgun. Afterward, they covered Aguilar's body with trash and set it on fire.

A police officer saw the smoke rising and pulled over the vehicle leaving the scene. Shortly after, Martinez and the others were arrested. The trial began on November 1, 2005, and after a jury verdict, Martinez was sentenced to death on November 18, 2005.