Carlos Martinez
HARVARD PARK — 61-year-old Carlos Martinez was attempting to defend his liquor store, Martinez Market, in the 6565 block of South Normandie Avenue during a robbery on May 7th around 8 PM.
In the course of the robbery, he was shot dead by 19-year-old Hector Benitez.
The LA County District Attorney’s Office reports that the gang member was charged today with one count of murder “with a special circumstance of committing the murder during the course of a robbery.” He is being held without bail.
If Benitez is convicted, he “faces a maximum possible sentence of death, or life in prison without the possibility of parole.”
A report from the LA Times notes that another suspect was shot and killed by Martinez during the robbery after he was, in the words of Commander Philip Tindgirides, “dropped off at a local hospital.”
CBSLA noted that Martinez came from El Salvador ten years ago and opened his store 5 years ago. They added that he had been robbed twice before and shot once, “prompting him to buy a gun.”
