Bio

Martin Raul Soto-Fong was born on October 6, 1974. He grew up in a community in Pima County, Arizona. Soto-Fong was a Hispanic male. During his childhood, he faced various challenges, including those typical of many children in similar circumstances. He was known to have worked at a local market called El Grande before he became involved in criminal activity. Working there gave him some connection to the store and the people who worked there.

By the time he was 17, his life took a different direction. Soto-Fong would find himself involved in serious criminal acts that would change his life forever. Before the events that led to his sentencing, he led an ordinary teenage life, balancing between school and work.

Murder Story

On June 24, 1992, Martin Raul Soto-Fong and two accomplices, Andre Minnitt and Christopher McCrimmon, went to the El Grande Market in Pima County, Arizona. They intended to rob the store and eliminate any witnesses. Soto-Fong, who had previously worked at the market, entered the store to gather two bags of produce. He then approached the cash register where the store manager, Fred Gee, was present, and pulled out a .25 caliber autoloading pistol.

Soto-Fong demanded cash and took about $300 from the register. After collecting the money, he shot Fred Gee, Raymond Arriola, a store clerk, and Huang Ze Wan, who was Fred's uncle. All three victims were shot in the head. At the same time, Minnitt entered the store and joined Soto-Fong in shooting the victims. McCrimmon stood at the entrance, armed with a handgun, ensuring no one could escape.

Neighbors heard the gunfire and saw the distinctive car the three men used to arrive at the market. After the murders, the police found that car and discovered fingerprints in the store that linked Soto-Fong and his accomplices to the crime. This evidence played a key role in the investigations that followed.

Soto-Fong was arrested and faced trial. During the trial, the jury found him guilty of the murders. On February 3, 1994, he was sentenced to death. However, in 2006, he was resentenced to three consecutive life sentences after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty could not be given to juveniles, since Soto-Fong was just a few months shy of turning 18 at the time of the murders.