Man told police he used stolen pistol in Northern Nevada killings
RENO — The man suspected in a series of homicides in Northern Nevada this month had worked as a landscaper for two of the people he is accused of killing, according to a police report filed Monday in Reno.
Wilber Ernesto Martinez-Guzman, of El Salvador, admitted to detectives that he used a stolen revolver to shoot and kill Gardnerville women Connie Koontz, 56 and Sophia Renken, 74 and Reno couple Gerald David, 81, and his wife Sharon, 80. according to the report.
Prosecutors filed the formal murder charges against Martinez-Guzman, who they say is the sole suspect in the cases, as well as five felony burglary charges in connection with the stolen items from the homes. He is being held in Carson City on charges relating to pawning and possessing some of those items.
Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks said Monday during a news conference that “it’s too early to tell right now” if prosecutors will be seeking the death penalty.
Martinez-Guzman had spent roughly four months working as a landscaper on the property of Gerald David, 81, and his wife Sharon, 80 in south Reno from April to July of last year, the police report said.
Police said that the 19-year-old burglarized a trailer on the Davids’ property on Jan. 3 and Jan. 4, taking a power saw, fishing poles and a .22-caliber revolver. Hicks said that no police report was filed for those burglaries.
Martinez-Guzman told police that he used that gun to kill Koontz on Jan. 10. The police report said there didn’t appear to be any forced entry, and noted that several items, including jewelry, an Apple computer and an Apple Watch were stolen from Koontz’s home.
Renken was found dead three days later in her Gardnerville home. Douglas County District Attorney Mark Jackson said that they believe some items were stolen from Renken’s home, but Martinez-Guzman “was adamant that he did not steal anything from this residence as he ‘got scared,’” according to the report.
In both of the Gardnerville cases, Martinez-Guzman said he entered the homes through an unlocked back door and that he shot the women when he encountered them inside.
On Jan. 16, he shot Sharon David while he was entering the Davids’ Reno home about 6 a.m., Martinez-Guzman told police.
“The lady was coming out. I got scared and shot at her,” Martinez-Guzman told detectives, according to the arrest affidavit. He went into the bedroom and shot Gerald David, who “was sitting on the bed, getting dressed,” the report said.
Police linked Martinez-Guzman to the killings by tracking the Apple Watch stolen from Koontz’s home after someone at the Carson City apartment that he lived in with his mother attempted to use the stolen device.
Local law enforcement and the FBI placed Martinez-Guzman under surveillance on Jan. 18. He was arrested the next day.
Next steps
Martinez-Guzman is being held on $500,000 bail at the Carson City jail on felony charges relating to possessing a dozen guns and pawning jewelry that belonged to the victims. He is also is on an immigration hold, as police say he is in the country illegally.
Hicks and Jackson, the district attorneys, said Monday that they will prosecute the cases together in Washoe County, where the murder charges were filed.
Hicks said that Martinez-Guzman will be transferred to Washoe County to be arraigned on the four murder charges and that he would be held without bail. The prosecutors added that no timeline is set for when that will happen, but called the case a priority.
The suspect’s immigration status drew the attention of President Donald Trump, who tweeted last week that the case shows the need for “a powerful Wall” between the U.S. and Mexico.
But Hicks said Monday that Martinez-Guzman’s immigration status isn’t r=”What someone’s status in the country may be has nothing to do with how we’re preceding on this case. We are looking to hold an alleged murderer accountable for the murders he committed.
Contact Capital Bureau Chief Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3820. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.
