KTSM News – Brother accused of murder claims he was afraid for his life

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The second day of trial for the Martel brothers revealed an interview with detectives where one of the brothers claimed he was afraid for his life when he allegedly pulled the trigger.

Chris and Randy Martel are accused of shooting and killing 27-year-old Julio Minjares on Dec. 12, 2020, in front of the house of Minjares’ ex-girlfriend and mother of their child.

An El Paso Police detective took the stand on Tuesday, Nov. 7, as a state’s witness.

Detective Armendariz was the first one to interview Chris Martel when him and his brother Randy were arrested after fleeing to Dallas.

The state showcased the video of the interview with Chris Martel and the detective.

In the recorded interview, Martel said that he was afraid Julio Minjares and the three men who came with him were going to kill him.

“I started to think in my head like we’re all going to die. We’re going to die,” Martel said in the interview.

He said one of the men had a gun and allegedly pointed it at Martel.

In the taped interview, Martel told detectives that he was hit on the head and his hand was slashed with a machete so badly that blood was gushing, and he couldn’t see well.

“I started blacking out, I thought in that moment that someone had shot me in the head,” Martel said in the interview.

He continued explaining that he had reached to get his gun from his truck and allegedly shot at Minjares because he thought it might’ve been one of the men who had a gun on him.

Detectives pointed out in the interview that his story was not consistent with the surveillance video that shows Chris Martel allegedly holding Minjares in a “chokehold” and stabbing him with a sharp object.

Detectives pointed out during the interview that at the time when Minjares was shot, he was not fighting but was sitting down.

Martel stated in the interview that he fled with his brother after the incident and got rid of his truck.

Martel said he was afraid to report the incident to police because Minjares had family members that were in law enforcement and he believed they would try to retaliate along with Minjares’s other family members.

The Martel’s then fled to Dallas and were arrested two months later and taken back to El Paso.

Detective Armendariz said EPPD charged Gregorio Barraza with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Barraza was one of the men who allegedly came with Minjares.

According to the detective, the two other individuals who came with Minjares were not found.

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