‘I don’t know if it’ll get better’: Family grieves woman killed outside Vegas car rental office

Gina Martin was planning to celebrate her 37th birthday, which should have been Monday, with a pool party in Las Vegas.

Martin lived in Denver but was originally from Las Vegas. She was trying to relocate back to the city to be close to her 18-year-old son, who just graduated high school and lived in the valley with his father, her friend Ivan Williams said in an interview Tuesday.

But Martin was killed in a shooting around 12:30 p.m. Saturday behind an Avis car rental office at 4632 W. Sahara Ave.

Police said Martin and a man who has not been identified were renting a car. When they walked out of the business to get their car, a man confronted them, shot them and drove off in a pickup, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

The man with Martin was taken to University Medical Center, where police said he was in critical condition.

On Sunday, police arrested Frederick Blanche, 37, in Buckeye, Arizona, in connection with the shooting. Las Vegas Justice Court records indicate he faces charges of open murder and attempted murder.

A toxic relationship described

Williams said Blanche and Martin had been engaged about two years ago, but she broke off the engagement quickly.

“I don’t really think she ever really felt the same way he felt,” Williams said. “I think it was one of those things where she kind of just accepted because she was on the spot or whatever, maybe felt bad.”

Martin’s older brother saw the situation differently. Blanche bought her a ring, but they weren’t engaged, Sean Martin said.

“He had stronger feelings for my sister than she did for him,” he said.

Whatever their relationship was, Gina Martin’s brother and friends say Blanche was obsessed with her. At one point in October 2022, she told Williams she had 100 missed calls from Blanche, all in a time span of about two hours.

Blanche then confronted Martin at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, where hotel security got involved, Williams said. And Blanche video called her and threatened to kill himself, according to her friend.

“You need to cut this guy off,” Williams said he told Martin. “You need to have no contact with him.”

But she stayed in contact with Blanche.

“Fred’s threatened to kill her I don’t know how many times,” said Marla Moore, who described Gina Martin as her best friend.

On Friday, Williams said he noticed that Blanche was looking at his Instagram stories. He thinks Blanche was trying to figure out where Martin was.

Martin had gone to Avis to get a rental car, Williams said. She didn’t like to depend on anybody when she was in town.

Before the shooting, Sean Martin said, Blanche came to his house looking for his sister.

And afterwards, Martin said, Blanche texted: “She’s gone.” He replied, “Gone where???,” not understanding.

Martin said his sister was dating the man wounded in the shooting.

‘The most bubbly personality’

“Gina had the most bubbly personality of anybody I ever met,” Williams said.

She worked for Hilton helping hotels improve their customer ratings. She loved traveling, and her job sent her to a different city every week, he said.

Williams joked with her that she couldn’t turn her cheery customer service personality off, even when she wasn’t working.

Williams described her as a good friend who was also devoted to her family. Her son “was her world,” he said. “Everything she did was for her son.”

She was a person who motivated others and listened without judgment, he said. Sean Martin said his sister was generous and someone you could talk to about problems.

“Last couple days have been hell. It’s been hell,” Williams said. “Trying to motivate myself even to get out of bed has been a task. I’ve never dealt with anything like this. I’ve never dealt with a situation where someone I love or know was murdered.”

“I’m just devastated,” Moore said. “I don’t know if it’ll get better.”

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.