A West Valley City man has been charged with shooting and killing a handyman who was working at his next-door neighbor’s house.
Jesus Adolfo Valdez Jr., 30, was charged in 3rd District Court with one count of murder and three counts of felony discharge of a firearm, first-degree felonies; and possession of a firearm by a restricted person, a second-degree felony.
According to court documents, Melbin Martinez, 39, was found lying on the ground on May 28 at a house near 2900 South and 3000 West with blood on his hands and face. When officers arrived, they found bullet wounds in Martinez’s stomach and back; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
At the time, police said the man suspected of shooting the handyman “lives near the home where the work was being done and reportedly had been disturbed by the construction noise.”
Witnesses told police they saw Valdez drive away on his motorcycle while attempts were made to save Martinez.
According to court documents, an autopsy showed two bullets entered Martinez’s lower left side and lodged in the muscles on his right side. A third bullet was lodged in Martinez’s left forearm, and a fourth entered below Martinez’s sternum and passed through his stomach, liver and aorta before lodging in his lower spine. A fifth round passed through Martinez’s right hand.
Investigators reported finding five .38 caliber shell casings nearby, and a .38 caliber handgun under the center console of a vehicle parked next door. According to a probable cause statement, Valdez’s father told police the vehicle and the gun were his, and only he and his son knew the gun was in the vehicle.
Jesus Valdez Sr. also told police that earlier on May 28, his son argued with his mother, “became angry” and broke a television and a bedroom door. According to the probable cause statement, Valdez Sr. arrived home, saw Martinez working next door and “yelled at” Valdez Jr. “for his conduct.” He also said he saw his son leave on his motorcycle after Martinez’s body was found and police had been notified.
Police wrote that while they were speaking with his mother, Valdez Jr. called her, asked about the police investigation, and asked that his father come pick him up. Valdez Sr. “became tearful and said he couldn’t do it.” When his mother handed the phone to a police detective, Valdez Jr. “acted as if he did not know what had happened,” and hung up on the detective when he offered to pick him up.
After police obtained a search warrant for Valdez Jr.‘s cell phone data, officers located and arrested him May 29. He was on parole at the time of the shooting, and is being held in the Utah State Prison.
