American Father in His 50s Stalked and Ultimately Killed His Own Daughter, Then Fled Abroad

Obsession for Months... Installing a Tracking Device on Daughter's Car
Prosecutors: "Not the Father, but a Jealous Lover Close to Her"

A man in his 50s in the United States stalked his daughter and ultimately killed her.

On the 7th (local time), US media including CNN reported that the US prosecution recently indicted Hector Ramon Martinez-Ayala (54), who resides in Tooele, Utah, on charges including murder and is seeking to secure his custody.

Martinez is accused of strangling his biological daughter, Marbeya Martinez (25), to death at their home on July 31 and then fleeing.

Marbeya's body was found at the house on the 1st of last month. However, when the authorities began their investigation, Martinez had already fled overseas through Texas using his sibling’s ID.

American Father in His 50s Stalked and Ultimately Killed His Own Daughter, Then Fled Abroad

The photo is not directly related to the article content. [Image source=Pixabay]

Investigations revealed that Martinez had been stalking his daughter for several months. In mid-July, while Marbeya was briefly abroad, Martinez attached a tracking device to her car and later used it to locate her with her partner.

Living with her father, Marbeya fled to a hotel for several days as her father's obsessive text messages, surveillance, and stalking intensified, but she was ultimately killed upon returning home.

A bag containing Marbeya’s underwear was also found in Martinez’s room. The prosecution argued, “The text messages sent by the defendant to the victim resemble those of a jealous lover more than a father.”

According to the prosecution’s indictment, after committing the crime, Martinez sent a text message to his sibling saying, “I have committed an unforgivable sin. I am so scared I don’t know what to do,” and “I don’t think I can come back again.”

Since January this year, Marbeya had been working as a sheriff's deputy in charge of corrections at the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office. In response, the sheriff’s office expressed deep condolences for Marbeya on the 5th of last month.