Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
A Clovis man is accused of fatally stabbing a 57-year-old woman on Monday inside this home located at 518 W. Fourth St. in Clovis.
Editor's note: The following story contains graphic details.
CLOVIS — The city's first homicide of 2017 was reported by the alleged killer, who said he stabbed the 57-year-old female victim multiple times, " 'cause she annoyed me," according to police records.
Lorenzo Martinez, 50, told police he stabbed Mary Neal about 18 times and had sex with her twice after she died.
Martinez was arrested Monday night for an open count of murder and tampering with evidence in connection with Neal's death.
District Attorney Andrea Reeb said Martinez' arraignment is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today, and his case has been referred to the public defender's office.
According to the affidavit filed Tuesday morning in Clovis Magistrate Court:
• At 9:47 p.m. on Monday, Martinez contacted dispatch and said he killed somebody at his residence at 518 W. Fourth St. He identified Neal as the victim, and said he stabbed her in the neck "like 18 times."
• Martinez said the knife was in the sink, and that he had sex with Neal twice. He sang while on the line with dispatchers. He said Neal had been dead about four hours, and that she was on his bed.
• The responding officer found blood on the kitchen floor and a wall of the kitchen that led to the bedroom. The officer found the victim with a shirt pulled above her chest and no clothing on her lower body.
• At the police station, Martinez waived his Miranda rights, and said Neal came to his house around 3 p.m. and the two started drinking. He said Neal became belligerent and loud, which concerned him because he was on probation for a charge of battery on a police officer. He told Neal about his concerns, but she "kept running her mouth."
• Martinez said he finally snapped at 6 p.m., stabbed Neal with a kitchen knife, and washed the knife off in the sink. An hour after that, Martinez said he had sex with Neal's body twice before punching her in the stomach and face areas.
• Martinez said he had prior homicidal and suicidal thoughts, and was taking medication, but decided he didn't care anymore and acted on them. He added serial killers were his idols, and that he would have killed the next person he came across had police not arrived.
