Bio

Virgil Euristi Martinez was born on December 12, 1967, in Harris County, Texas. In the years leading up to the incidents that made him well-known, Martinez dated a woman named Veronica Fuentes. Their relationship eventually ended, and after the breakup, it is reported that he began harassing her. This period marked a significant change in his life, as he displayed jealousy and possessiveness toward Veronica which would later have serious implications.

On October 1, 1996, the events surrounding his actions drew national attention. At the time, Martinez was 28 years old. Following an incident of violence involving Veronica and her children, he became known as one of the most infamous figures in Texas criminal history.

Murder Story

On October 1, 1996, four people were murdered in Brazoria County, Texas. The victims were Veronica Fuentes, her two young children, Joshua and Cassandra, and an 18-year-old neighbor named John Gomez. The events unfolded around 11 p.m. that night. Sherry Graves, the landlord of the trailer park where Veronica lived, heard loud banging and screams coming from her tenant's trailer. She went to investigate and heard Veronica pleading with someone named Virgil, who was later identified as Virgil Martinez, her ex-boyfriend.

Graves saw Veronica in her front yard calling out for Virgil and begging him to leave. Suddenly, Martinez shot Veronica, causing her to fall to the ground. John Gomez, who had tried to intervene, ran toward Martinez but was also shot. Graves ducked into her house for safety as Martinez fled the scene.

When police arrived, they found Veronica and her children dead. Veronica had suffered 14 gunshot wounds, while her children were found in their beds, also dead from gunfire. Gomez, who had been shot multiple times, was discovered alive but succumbed to his injuries shortly after giving a statement to police identifying Martinez as the shooter.

Martinez fled the scene and was later found in Del Rio, Texas. He had called 911, claiming to be hearing voices and in need of medical attention. He was taken to a hospital, and his car was later searched by police. Although the murder weapon was never found, ballistics evidence linked the bullets to a nine-millimeter gun, and items associated with such a gun were discovered in Martinez's car and at his mother’s house.

On November 7, 1996, Martinez was indicted on four counts of capital murder. He was tried and found guilty by a jury. On April 15, 1998, he was sentenced to death. His appeals were largely unsuccessful, with courts affirming his conviction and sentence.

Martinez was executed by lethal injection on January 29, 2009. On his final day, he made a statement to witnesses, maintaining that he had not committed the murders and suggesting that another victim, Gomez, was responsible for the killings.