Dad Accused of Stalking, Killing Daughter Allegedly Acted Like 'Jealous Lover' and Was 'Obsessed': Police

Mar. 15, 2025

Marbella Martinez and Hector Martinez-Ayala.Photo:Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook; Courtesy Tooele City Police Department

Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook; Courtesy Tooele City Police Department

Martinez-Ayala was charged on Friday, Sept. 6, with murder, two counts of obstruction of justice, stalking a cohabitant, unlawful possession of a financial transaction card, unlawful use of a financial transaction card and unlawful possession of another person’s identifying documents.

“We as a department are working with numerous agencies around the clock to bring Hector into custody for what he did," Tooele City Police Department Corporal Colbey Bentley previously told PEOPLE. “As we strive to give Deputy Marbella Martinez the justice she is owed, we plead with anyone who may have helpful information or who may be actively helping hide Hector to do the right thing and help us bring Hector into custody for what he did.”

Marbella Martinez.Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook

Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook

Officers discovered the body of Martinez around 8 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1, in the Tooele home she shared with her father. She was “lying on top of the bed, covered with a blanket up to her neck,” per the affidavit.

She had been strangled.

According to the affidavit, authorities allege Martinez-Ayala’s behavior towards his daughter had become “increasingly troublesome” and that he had engaged in stalking behavior for months.

Prosecutors allege that Martinez found a bag of her underwear in his room and Martinez-Ayala had placed a tracking device on her vehicle to find her.

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“The last camera notification on the victim’s phone occurred at 2:17 p.m., which means that the cameras were disabled or disconnected from the internet at this time,” states the affidavit. “Any video after the defendant’s arrival at 2:17 p.m. July 21, 2024, was deleted or never existed because of the disabling of the camera after his arrival.”

Per the affidavit, Martinez-Ayala texted his brother just over two hours later,  around 4:30 p.m..

“My brother, you know much I love you, I made a big mistake, an unforgivable sin, now I’m too scared and I don’t know what to do. I think I will never come back,” he allegedly texted.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Tooele County Dispatch Center at 435-882-5600, option 1.

source: people.com