EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Video footage shows the altercation between the victim and two brothers accused of murdering the man back in 2020.
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.
The trial of the Martel brothers began on Monday, Nov. 6.
Minjares’ ex-girlfriend, Armida Trujillo, was the first to take the stand as state’s witness.
She said her and Minjares had broken up that July, several months before the incident.
The night of the shooting was the first time she had seen him after the breakup, she recalled.
Trujillo talked about her relationship and co-parenting with Minjares.
She said Child Protective Services were called several times through their years-long relationship.
Trujillo recalled the times Minjares reportedly assaulted her and her two children. She said he broke into her home on several occasions after which she changed her locks.
On the night of Dec. 11, 2020, Trujillo testified she visited a bar near her home on Ashwood Drive in East El Paso.
She said she saw Chris and Randy Martel at the bar and invited them to continue to hang out at her place with the rest of her group.
She knew the Martels and hadn’t seen them in several years prior to that night.
The night continued at Trujillo’s home.
Trujillo said Minjares showed up uninvited and entered the home and Trujillo told him to leave.
A surveillance video from her home revealed she had told him to “get out” several times and Minjares ended up leaving after a few minutes of commotion.
Shortly after Minjares arrived at the home again, but this time Trujillo’s boyfriend at the time was there and struck Minjares.
The altercation continued with the two men physically fighting and Minjares eventually leaving once again, according to Trujillo’s testimony.
Trujillo said as Minjares was leaving he pushed her to the ground and Chris and Randy Martel were telling him that he cannot hit women.
She said she also received a text from Minjares, saying “Are you happy now?”
Several hours later, Minjares showed up to the residence for the third time with three other individuals, two of whom were armed with machetes, according to Trujillo.
“These guys were swinging their machetes,” she said.
Another altercation ensued in front of the residence between the several men in Trujillo’s party, including Randy and Chris Martel, Minjares and the three individuals who came with him.
The outdoor surveillance footage showed Chris Martel with blood on his head after being “pistol-whipped” during the altercation. Both him and Randy Martel are seen right next to Minjares.
Seconds before the fatal shots, audio on the indoor surveillance footage showed Chris Martel said “Don’t shoot.”
The outdoor footage has an obstructed view and does not clearly show the exact moment shots were fired.
The video also showed Trujillo’s and Minjares’s then 8-year-old son who witnessed Minjares lying dead on the ground.
Trujillo testified that Minjares’ family blamed her for the incident and threatened her life which led to the FBI being involved.
KTSM will continue the coverage of this trial on Tuesday Nov. 7.
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