Aug 1, 2022Updated: Aug 1, 2022 2:03 pm
ALBUQUERQUE, NM (AP) — A man was convicted Monday in the 2016 death of an Albuquerque girl who was strangled, dismembered and set on fire in the bathtub of her mother’s apartment on her 10th birthday.
A 2nd Judicial District Court jury deliberated less than four hours before returning with guilty verdicts on all charges against 37-year-old Fabian Gonzales, who prosecutors say faces up to life in prison when he’s sentenced.
Gonzales was charged with one count of reckless child abuse resulting in death, seven counts of tampering with evidence and one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence in the case.
Prosecutors argued during the 13-day trial that Gonzales put Victoria Martens in a dangerous situation that eventually lead to her death.
They said Gonzales dated the victim’s mother — Michelle Martens — and moved into her apartment one month before the girl died.
Gonzales also was accused of helping his cousin Jessica Kelley dismember the girl and clean the crime scene in an attempt to conceal the death.
Defense lawyers argued that Kelley was solely responsible for the murder and dismemberment on Aug. 23, 2016.
Kelley testified that she was high on methamphetamine at the time of the girl’s killing.
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