Bio

Raymond DeLeon Martinez was born on July 2, 1946. His early life was marked by challenges and instability. He grew up in a troubled family environment. His mother struggled with mental illness and had been hospitalized during his childhood. This difficult atmosphere affected Martinez and his siblings. They faced various hardships including financial problems.

Martinez had a tough childhood and was described as fearful and weak. He suffered from untreated health issues, including some form of epilepsy. His father believed that his seizures were caused by "spirits," which led to a lack of medical attention. As a teenager, Martinez began drinking at the age of thirteen, and this would shape his later life choices.

Throughout his youth, Martinez was often in trouble with the law. His family life did not provide the support he needed, and as he grew older, he became involved in criminal activities. His criminal background began early with offenses that led to his incarceration.

In the late 1960s, Martinez was sentenced to prison for armed robbery and other offenses. While incarcerated, he experienced violence and brutality, which further impacted his mental state. These experiences shaped his future and played a role in his later actions.

Over the years, Martinez's life was marked by repeated run-ins with the law. He joined a gang known as the Texas Syndicate, which was involved in violent criminal activities. Martinez seemed to be on a path of self-destruction, driven by a desire for power and respect within the criminal world.

Murder Story

On July 11, 1983, Raymond DeLeon Martinez and two accomplices began a violent crime spree in Harris County, Texas. They robbed a bar called Dom Ramon’s Lounge, resulting in the murder of Moses Mendez. The very next day, Martinez and his accomplices struck again at another bar, Elaine’s, where Martinez assaulted a customer named Ollie Skogebo.

The most notorious incident occurred on July 13, 1983, at the Long Branch Saloon. Martinez and his accomplices entered the bar around 10:30 p.m. They ordered beers and, shortly after, one of the men locked the door and pulled out a gun. They demanded everyone hit the floor while Martinez threatened a bar patron with a .357 revolver.

During this robbery, Martinez forced the barmaid to give him money from the cash register, while the owner, Herman Chavis, confronted him. Following a brief verbal exchange, Martinez and his accomplices opened fire, killing Chavis with multiple gunshot wounds. The group fled the bar without taking any money.

On July 15, 1983, the violence escalated further when Martinez fatally shot his own sister, Julia Martinez, and her boyfriend, Guillermo “Willie” Chavez Martinez. That same day, he shot a prostitute named Tracey Pelkey after an argument, leaving her for dead.

Martinez's crime spree was marked by robbery and murder, resulting in the deaths of five individuals over just a few days in July 1983.

He was arrested and later convicted of capital murder. Initially sentenced to death on March 15, 1984, his conviction was later reversed in 1988. After a retrial, he was again sentenced to death on October 12, 1989. His execution was scheduled for March 28, 2006, after years of legal battles and appeals regarding his convictions and mental health claims.

Raymond DeLeon Martinez died on August 9, 2017, at age 71 after being found unresponsive in his cell at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston, Texas.