Murder suspect indicted by grand jury, prosecutors to seek death penalty in Gardnerville and Reno slayings
An indictment was filed late Wednesday against the man accused of killing two Gardnerville area women and a South Reno couple in January. Prosecutors said Thursday they intend to seek the death penalty.
Accused murderer Wilber Martinez-Guzman will be tried on four murder counts. He's been charged with the murders of Connie Koontz, 56, and Sophia Renken, 74, both of the Gardnerville area, and Gerald, 82, and Sharon David, 80, of South Reno. The murder spree happened within a 10 day period.
A new count was added to the charges including the suspect having multiple firearms stolen from the David residence in Washoe and Douglas counties, as well as Carson City.
Martinez-Guzman was apprehended in Carson City on Jan. 19 in the Carson Mall parking lot after he was stopped following a surveillance investigation. Law enforcement agents were concerned he may try to dispose of evidence linking him to the crimes and took him into custody. Martinez-Guzman was found to be in the country illegally from El Salvador.
He allegedly entered the victims' homes and shot each of them with a handgun then burglarized their residences stealing guns, jewelry and other possessions.
Washoe and Douglas prosecutors are discussing indictment and their decision related to seeking the death penalty at a news conference that began at 11 a.m. An arraignment for the suspect was continued to April.
Go here to see the press conference.
The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office and the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office came to the joint decision to prosecute the crimes in Washoe County District Court, and they intend to seek the death penalty.
This decision was due to the aggravating circumstances of the crimes, including the determination that the motive of the crimes appeared to be related to receiving money and property from the victims.
This will be the fourth death penalty case in Washoe County and the first in Douglas County in the last decade, according to Douglas County District Attorney Mark Jackson.