Victoria Martens murder: Google refuses to release records that might have evidence in rape, killing, dismemberment of 10-year-old girl

Overworked prosecutors in New Mexico are reportedly battling with Google to get electronic records from email accounts belonging to the three suspects in the Victoria Martens murder case — including Victoria’s own mother, Michelle Martens.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, 10-year-old Victoria was allegedly raped by Fabian Gonzalez and Jessica Kelley in August 2016 while her mother willingly watched. The suspects are believed to have partially dismembered the little girl; when police arrived to Michelle Martens’s Albuquerque apartment, they found Victoria’s burning body in the bathtub. After her daughter was killed, Michelle Martens reportedly had sex with Fabian Gonzalez and made tacos for the three of them.

Bernalillo County District Attorney Raul Torrez told KRQE that prosecutors are working diligently to build a case before the murder trials begin in July, despite a massive workload and a hurdle in obtaining evidence prosecutors believe can be found in search histories connected to the suspects’ Google accounts.

KRQE reports that Google declined an order from District Court Judge Charles Brown to release the records by December 30, 2017, arguing that the state did not provide enough background on the case against the defendants.

On Friday, prosecutors asked again for a judge to issue an order for Google to turn over the records from the accounts. The KRQE report did not indicate when the judge is expected to make a decision, or how this order will differ from that one Google declined last month.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, Michelle Martens is believed after her arrest to have confessed to watching her daughter’s rape and murder, and reportedly provided police with details of the crime. All three suspects have pleaded not guilty, and will be tried separately. Martens will be the first to face trial in July of this year.

 

[Feature image: Facebook/Victoria Martens]