Bio

David Aaron Martinez was born on April 24, 1976. He had a troubled childhood and moved between Texas and Iowa. Martinez lived with his parents at different times during his upbringing. His family situation was complicated. His father, Ray Martinez, was involved in making sadomasochistic paraphernalia and lived in an openly gay relationship.

He was at times abused, neglected, and homeless. In his teenage years, he spent time living on the streets in Austin. A form from the Salvation Army dated March 1997 indicated that he was homeless at that time. His family environment was not stable and created challenges for him.

In terms of education, Martinez attended school but dropped out after his junior year. He completed up to the 11th grade before leaving school altogether. 

In April 1995, shortly before his 18th birthday, he faced legal trouble for carrying an explosive device, specifically a homemade hand grenade. A Texas court placed him on probation for this offense, but he failed to comply with the terms and was sent to boot camp.

Murder Story

On July 27, 1997, Kiersa Paul, a 24-year-old woman visiting her sister in Austin, Texas, decided to meet someone named "Wolf" at Zilker Park. She rode her red bicycle to the park and was later found the next day by a jogger, her body lying beside a trail. Kiersa had been raped, strangled, and stabbed multiple times.

David Aaron Martinez, known by the nickname "Wolf," told friends he was going to meet a girl at the park that evening. After midnight, he returned home with a bicycle he did not own. The police later searched his apartment and found Kiersa's bicycle and other personal items belonging to her, along with a Swiss army knife that had blood matching Kiersa's DNA.

Further forensic testing revealed that hairs found on Kiersa's body were consistent with Martinez's hair. His DNA was also matched to semen found on her underwear. This evidence led to his arrest.

Martinez was tried for capital murder, and a jury convicted him in October 1998 after just 15 minutes of deliberation. He was sentenced to death on December 1, 1998.

Over the years, Martinez made several appeals regarding his conviction and sentence, but all were denied. He was executed by lethal injection on July 28, 2005. His final words were, "Only the sky and green grass goes on forever, and today is a good day to die." He was pronounced dead at 6:17 PM.