A Utah father accused of killing his sheriff’s deputy daughter before fleeing the country was allegedly becoming “increasingly obsessed and controlling” prior to her death, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained.
Per the affidavit, investigators said text messages sent by Hector Ramon Martinez-Ayala, 54, to his 25-year-old daughter Marbella Martinez were “more of the nature of a jealous lover than a father.”
Martinez-Ayala was charged on Friday, Sept. 6, with murder, two counts of obstruction of justice, stalking a cohabitant, unlawful possession of a financial transaction card, unlawful use of a financial transaction card and unlawful possession of another person’s identifying documents.
Authorities allege he fled the country after the slaying.
“We as a department are working with numerous agencies around the clock to bring Hector into custody for what he did,” Tooele City Police Department Corporal Colbey Bentley previously told PEOPLE. “As we strive to give Deputy Marbella Martinez the justice she is owed, we plead with anyone who may have helpful information or who may be actively helping hide Hector to do the right thing and help us bring Hector into custody for what he did.”
Officers discovered the body of Martinez around 8 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1, in the Tooele home she shared with her father. She was “lying on top of the bed, covered with a blanket up to her neck,” per the affidavit.
She had been strangled.
According to the affidavit, authorities allege Martinez-Ayala’s behavior towards his daughter had become “increasingly troublesome” and that he had engaged in stalking behavior for months.
Prosecutors allege that Martinez found a bag of her underwear in his room and Martinez-Ayala had placed a tracking device on her vehicle to find her.
Authorities allege he used the device on July 29 to track her and her romantic interest at a hiking area called Bates Canyon. After the incident, Martinez allegedly stayed at a hotel but returned home on July 31. She was last seen on video footage inside her home at 12:23 p.m. that day. Authorities said Martinez-Ayala arrived home at 2:17 p.m.
“The last camera notification on the victim’s phone occurred at 2:17 p.m., which means that the cameras were disabled or disconnected from the internet at this time,” states the affidavit. “Any video after the defendant’s arrival at 2:17 p.m. July 21, 2024, was deleted or never existed because of the disabling of the camera after his arrival.”
Per the affidavit, Martinez-Ayala texted his brother just over two hours later, around 4:30 p.m..
“My brother, you know much I love you, I made a big mistake, an unforgivable sin, now I’m too scared and I don’t know what to do. I think I will never come back,” he allegedly texted.
Authorities alleged Martinez-Ayala disposed of his daughter’s cell phone before driving to Salt Lake City’s airport. He flew to San Francisco and Houston and then used his brother’s identification “when he landed in another country and is seen on surveillance video,” the affidavit alleges. “The defendant’s whereabouts are unknown, but his last known location was outside of the United States.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the Tooele County Dispatch Center at 435-882-5600, option 1.
