Landy Martinez Wiki, Biography
A 21-year-old man of Cuban origin named Landy Martinez was found shot to death inside a home in St. Petersburg, Florida, shortly after authorities received a distressing call from him, asking for help.
At the crime scene, the police discovered that Martínez had been tortured with drano and had multiple stab wounds and burns on his body. The house was in ruins and they found him on the floor of the room with two gunshot wounds to the head and chest. A mobile phone was also found at the scene, which consisted of chilling video shot before the murder.
The ensuing investigation turned to the gay man’s love life, eventually turning to his ex-boyfriend José Adame, who was later found guilty of first-degree murder.
ID’s A Time to Kill is set to review the 2011 case of Landy Martinez, who was tortured and killed in a particularly cruel crime. The all-new episode, titled Slaying in St. Petersburg, airs Friday, January 13, 2023 at 10:00 p.m. m. ET. The synopsis says:
“With two fatal gunshot wounds and tape residue on her wrists and ankles, it’s clear 21-year-old Landy Martinez suffered prior to her death; detectives hope the victim’s cell phone will provide the critical evidence they need. to get closer to his killer.”
Landy Martínez was found dead on the bedroom floor from two gunshot wounds
Landy Martinez was born in Cuba and moved to the Miami area with his father when he was just five years old. At the age of 18, he came out to the world as gay. He then completed education to become a licensed nursing assistant, moved to St. Petersburg, and was eventually hired at a nursing home in Tampa.
According to Oxygen, his friend Gail Rigg claimed that,
“He was sweet and kind and caring. The residents loved him, he loved the residents. Eventually, he became the activities keeper. Landy loved his work, he loved his co-workers, he loved his residents.” .
However, in the morning hours of December 21, 2011, Martínez called 911 screaming for help. He was heard saying frantically, “Help me, help me, they want to kill me!” The dispatcher repeatedly asked Landy for his address, but received no response and could only provide his name moments before two shots were heard.
Authorities then used data from cell phone towers to pinpoint Martinez’s location, which prevented them from obtaining a precise address. After narrowing the area down to two streets, they began to investigate strange occurrences that might have occurred.
After the initial 911 call, about 40 minutes later, a concerned woman called police after being unable to reach her roommate. She requested that the police conduct a welfare check and provided an address that coincidentally matched the one they received the first distress call.
Inside the house, the authorities witnessed a shocking crime scene: the security cameras were offline, the house had been broken into and ransacked. The bathroom was in complete disarray, with the sliding glass shower door broken and out of frame. In addition, there were multiple instruments that suggested torture, including a Drano liquid plumber, a knife, and duct tape.
Landy Martínez was found dead on the bedroom floor, the product of two gunshot wounds, one to the back of the neck and the other to the chest. His phone was found under the uncovered mattress, along with two .380 semi-automatic shell casings. An autopsy further revealed that Martinez also suffered stab wounds and burns to his eyes and throat from exposure to Drano.
An ex-boyfriend named José Adame was behind the shooting death of 21-year-old Landy Martínez.
During the initial stages of the investigation, officials suspected his boyfriend of a month, Jonathan Galacia, who insisted on his innocence and was ruled out as a suspect when phone records backed up his story. However, he did talk about a love triangle with Martínez’s ex-boyfriend, José Adame, and talked about a call to three that they had the night before the murder.
Immediately afterward, authorities began investigating Adame, who had a volatile relationship with the victim in the past and was unhappy with the conversation they had during their last phone call from him the night before the murder. They also found damning video on Martinez’s phone that was recorded moments before the murder.
Jose Adame was eventually arrested and charged with first-degree homicide after authorities found blood evidence inside his mother’s car. It was alleged that his 16-year-old cousin brother was an accomplice. Adame was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Landy Martinez. His accomplice was neither named nor charged.