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Albuquerque Mom, Boyfriend Arrested In Horrific Rape And Murder Of 10-Year-Old Girl

By Aaron Homer
Published on: 05:12 PST, Aug 25, 2016

An Albuquerque mother, her boyfriend, and a second woman have been arrested and charged with the horrific rape and murder of the mother’s 10-year-old daughter, The Albuquerque Journal is reporting.

The girl’s mother, Michelle Martens, 35, Martens’ boyfriend, Fabian Gonzales, 31, and a second woman, Jessica Kelley, 31, were all arrested Wednesday. The trio is facing felony murder, child abuse, sexual assault, and drug charges.

Police were called to a northwest Albuquerque apartment complex at about 4:30 A.M. Wednesday following a report of a possible battery inside Marten’s apartment. When police entered the apartment, they found the naked, drugged body of the Martens’ 10-year-old daughter. The girl, whose name has not been released, was either strangled or stabbed to death.

Police say that Martens, Gonzalez, and Kelley injected the girl with methamphetamine in order to pacify her so they could have their way with her. They allegedly sexually assaulted her before killing her, according to Albuquerque Police Department spokesperson Tanner Tixier.

“What happened to this little girl is … horrific. It’s one of the worst things I’ve read in my entire life.”

Martens, Gonzalez, and Kelley were all bloodied and bruised when they were arrested, and authorities suspect they may have sustained the injuries fighting with each other following the rape and murder of the young girl. Jessica Kelley was taken to an area hospital for her injuries, and she will be booked into jail following her release from the hospital.

At around 11:30 P.M. Wednesday night, TV cameras were present as Gonzalez and Martens were taken from police headquarters in downtown Albuquerque to the booking station across the street. Martens refused to talk to reporters, but Gonzalez blamed Kelley for the girl’s death.

Neighbor Laura Bobbs tells KOB-TV (Albuquerque) that she knew the girl, and her birthday was Tuesday, the day before she died. Bobbs said she made plans with the child for them to get manicures and pedicures in honor of the day.

“Who does this? I counsel people. I council people in grief. I’m a grief counselor. I have a degree in psychology. You would think I would be stronger than this, but when it’s you that it happened to, who’s going to counsel me? Who’s going to help me through this?”

Neighbor Pauline Quintana never suspected anything was amiss in the girl’s family. She said the girl was always happy and was particularly excited about her upcoming birthday. Quintana says the girl loved to show off her new kitten to the neighbors, and she loved talking about her birthday party.

“She seemed fine, she didn’t seem scared or upset. She was all happy.”

Police Chief Gorden Eden promised a thorough investigation into the horrific crime.

“We are working thoroughly on this case to build the right case, to build the right charges. Our investigators are combing through every piece of evidence at this home. We will not rush this investigation.”

Meanwhile, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez promised justice for the young girl.

“There are no words that can convey the sorrow and sadness I feel for the innocent child who was killed in this atrocious attack. What happened to this little girl is unspeakable, and justice should come down like a hammer on the monster who committed this murder.”

As of this writing, it is not clear when the trio charged with the girl’s rape and murder will be arraigned.

[Image via Shutterstock/Elzbieta Sekowska]

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