Murder Conviction for Death of Innocent Handyman
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced Jesus Adolfo Valdez Jr. entered a guilty plea for the 2020 murder of Melbin Martinez.
On May 28, 2020, West Valley Police were dispatched to 2897 South 3050 West, where they found Mr. Martinez, who had three gunshot wounds and was not breathing. Emergency medical personnel declared Mr. Martinez deceased on the scene. During the investigation, detectives learned that Mr. Martinez, a handyman, had been working on the exterior of the residence next to the defendant’s home prior to his death. Detectives were told by one witness that when she arrived at the residence, she saw the victim on the ground and Mr. Valdez Jr. driving away on a motorcycle. Detectives found some spent shell casings near Mr. Martinez’s body and discovered a gun under the center console of a nearby vehicle. That gun had the same ammunition in it as the spent shell casing. DNA collected from the pistol grip of the gun was identified as the defendant’s. Mr. Valdez’s father told police on the day of the incident that he had been at work when his son became angry with Mr. Valdez Sr.’s wife, which led to the defendant breaking a television and bedroom door. When Mr. Valdez Sr. came home, he saw his son breaking up the broken items into smaller pieces to fit into a garbage can. Mr. Valdez Sr. yelled at the defendant, then went inside for 30-40 minutes. During this time, Mr. Valdez Sr. saw the defendant pacing between the carport and the backyard. Mr. Valdez Sr. saw the defendant leave on his motorcycle after Mr. Martinez’s body was found and police had been called. A motive for the murder was never determined.
On Monday, the defendant pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree felony murder.
“We mourn the loss of Melbin Martinez at the hands of the defendant and hope this conviction provides some measure of justice for his family and loved ones. We appreciate the cooperation of the family of the defendant that helped ensure accountability in the death of Mr. Martinez, an innocent handyman with no connection to defendant besides working next door,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. “We thank our prosecutors Brad Cooley, Breanne Miller, Ryan Hansen, and our support staff for their years working on this case. We appreciate the work of detectives with West Valley City Police Department who conducted the investigation and helped lead to the charges being filed and the final conviction.”