E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
AP
Bryan Clay, arrested Friday on child abuse charges and charged Saturday in connection with the murders of 38-year-old Ignacia Martinez and 10-year-old Karla Martinez.
Updated at 5:30 p.m. ET: LAS VEGAS -- Using a hammer as a weapon, a "complete stranger" with no significant criminal history allegedly attacked a family in their Las Vegas home, killing a woman and her daughter, in a brutal crime that left investigators both baffled and aghast.
Bryan Clay, 22, was arrested Friday in the April 15 rape and bludgeoning deaths of 38-year-old Ignacia Martinez and 10-year-old Karla Martinez. He had no connection to the family of five, Lt. Ray Steiber said Saturday.
"This was a complete stranger killing a mother and daughter and attacking the father," Steiber told The Associated Press. "I've been doing this (police work) 24 years, and you don't see cases like this. I can't even put this into words."
Nothing was taken from the blood-spattered house, and investigators were unsure of the motive for the attack.
"There's no rhyme or reason to why (it happened)," he said, adding Clay doesn't have a "significant" criminal history.
Clay also was booked in the beating and rape of a 50-year-old woman in the same west Las Vegas neighborhood hours before the slayings.
Steiber said he didn't know why two boys, 9 and 4, were spared in the home invasion attack that came to light when the older boy told school officials next day that his mother and sister were dead at home.
Arturo Martinez, 39, the husband and father, was critically injured in the attack and remains hospitalized with head injuries. He has been unable to talk to investigators. Both the mother and daughter were sexually assaulted, Steiber said.'
In the earlier attack, the 50-year-old woman was walking near an intersection when an assailant forced her into a nearby desert area and violently sexually assaulted her April 15. "(She was) chased, beaten and raped," Steiber said.
DNA results linked Clay to both attacks, investigators said. A baseball cap left behind by the woman's attacker turned out to be a key piece of evidence, KLAS-TV reported.
Authorities found the bodies of the girl and the mother in separate bedrooms. The two boys remained in the home for at least 24 hours with the bodies and their severely injured father, Steiber said.
Police were notified about the case the next day after the 9-year-old boy came to school and informed a counselor that his mom and sister were dead. The boys were placed in protective custody with the Clark County Department of Family Services after the attack, and police declined to say where they now are.
"They're safe and OK," Steiber said.
Police made the case a top priority as up to 60 investigators were involved. "Our goal was to get this guy into custody, and we weren't going to stop until we did," Steiber said.
Steiber said he didn't know if Clay had a lawyer, and attempts to reach a police spokeswoman were unsuccessful.
Clay was being held without bail Saturday pending an initial court appearance. He was booked on various charges, including murder, battery with a deadly weapon and sexual assault.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
- Lawyer: Autistic boy's teacher didn't call him 'bastard'
- World record holder for 'longest time to live with a bullet in the head' dies
- Guess who's coming to dinner? Navy family starts unique deployment ritual
- Attorney: Zimmerman's website raised more than $200,000
- Which dress will get you barred from this prom?
Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook
Leave a Comment:
I just read the story of the survivalist in Washington state, why not send this guy down that rabbit hole to see if he is still in there? Maybe then we could seal the opening. Just a thought though.
What a moronic comment! That's all you got? Sad.
Good one.
I don't care about his race, I don't care about his age, I don't care about his attire. He's a monster. The package doesn't matter. Monsters come in all sizes, shapes and colors. The horror that he's left behind for the people that have survived this despicable attack will never go away. There are no words for what he has done. Try him and fry him.
The people above who's comments are all collapsed, have it totally wrong here. The FBI, DOJ, Grand Jury, and al sharpton and his crew, along with the media, and it's biased commentary, and 10 year old photographs, to increase the incendiary rhetoric, DO NOT get involved when it's an African American MURDERING other races.
Four straight Trayvon Martin fashion derails deleted, Buddy Northcutt suspended for a day for violating #4 of the Code of Honor - wayoff-topic, Jack Steinberg banned, racism, calling out 'porch monkeys' in their comment.
Could this be a hate crime? All behavior like this is a hate crime regardless of race. I wonder if Jesse Jackson will sow up in Vegas?
No, Jeese Jackson nor Al Sharpton will show up for this. They do not condone murder, no matter who the muderer is. People wrong, is wrong, no matter who is doing it. You can not in all honesty convict a black man for a crime, that you give a white man, a pass in; if both is guilty of the same crime, and prison or the death penalty, is the answer, then sentence both the same way. Blacks have no trouble with fairness, no matter how painful, but be fair; all life is value to the person holding it, and no one unless he is prepared to die, should kill another, unless his life hangs in the balances. In Florida, Zimmerman, not Martin,was the agressor and ultimately the executioner. Zimmerman stood on his ground of self defense, and killed an "UNARMED" teenager, because he was having his head banged against the sidewalk, had he been in his truck, and not in hot pursued there would be no incident, and Trayvon would be" ALIVE". I read the comments Zimmerman said Trayvon made to him, if I'm afraid for my life and the person is going to shot me I'm going to try him too, I rather die trying to defense myself than just getting shot down by a COWARD because he's scared. Zimmerman wasn't the one asking for help, so it had to be Martin, but he didn't mention that, I noticed. The young man, Clay, will get the death penalty if he is find guilty but like Zimmerman, the courts will decide. We on these pages can not convict or sentence, without a fair trial, it is working for Zimmerman so it will work for Clay. The two critters who killed the doctor's wife and his two daughters had a fair trial and were sentenced to death, Clay will have a fair trial and be sentenced too. Casey Anthony, has to live with her consciencious, that was an adorable little baby girl, and I'm sure she sees the baby's face all of the time. Zimmerman, may walk but if he does, unfair as that maybe, Blacks, Trayvon's parents, and a lot of other Americans will live with that, but how would George Zimmerman live with it... Some of you will be navie, and say fine, not so, ever when you kill in War times, that feeling never leaves you. I've seen recent pictures of Zimmerman and the man has lost a lot of weight, guilt will eat your a$$ up; no matter how many excuses people try to make for you, you and God still know the truth. Clay, like the two critters in the doctor's family killing will pay with their lives, and that's fair, but Zimmerman should not get to walk, because he too, is guilty of murder, not in the 1st degree but murder non the less.
Hang on. Who honestly believes ANYONE would get a pass for this? Is it just me or is murder, rape, and attempted murder usually a capital offense in situations like this? (Well, maybe if he was Charles Manson and started spewing gibberish, he might get off of a capital murder charge, but not bloody likely in this case. This is felony upon felony upon felony here, guys.)
No need for Jackson or Sharpton because thr person has been arrested ,no delay,next questin and this time make it an intelligent one.
May-be he was just having a bad day. It's not like it was premeditated, his med's ran out a little early this month. It has nothing to do with honesty or the truth in a court of law, unless you are testifying. Something happened between him and a female to set him off. There is no way to make any of these happenings fair.
WTF-why there's foreboding
Maybe he was just having a bad day????? Are you for real?
Oh shoot, with this cat off the street, it means another Obama vote gone !
RIGHT-ON !
Ever wonder how you turned out like you are?Unhappy and no one likes you,hope you enjoy your spite filled life followed by eternity in hell.
Ever wonder how you turned out like you are?Unhappy,bitter,and no one likes you,sounds like a good time to me.At least you will be prepared when you get to hell.
First, lock him up in general population and let it be known that he raped a 5th grader. Don't worry about a death penalty because he will be a fun toy for an entire gang.
By the way he wears his pants below his buttocks, he is ready for prison service.
Good idea alur.
With the pants below the bottocks he is ready for everything that's "coming" to him in prison.
Sick sob!
Perhaps shooting him WOULD be too good for him.
i agree but because of the rape of the little girl he is guaranteed to do his time on the sensitive needs unit..doing time is a lot easier when your surrounded by child rapest,transgender/gay males and others needing to be seperated form the gen.population and you happen to be the meanest pedophile on the yard
barb, why are grouping the gay and transgendered population in with pedophiles? Unless they have been specifically targeting children, then it's unfair to group them that way.
I think what barb is saying is that this scum-bag will have an easier time 'inside' because of the inmates he will be grouped with based on the type of crime--he will probably be the most serious offender, the bad guy of the bad guys. And, for the seriousness of the crime, he should be placed in general population so that the kind of justice he earned is served.
As for unfair, it's difficult to feel badly about 'unfairness' experienced by criminals who take or destroy the lives of others. Black, white, or whatever--he needs to pay for the pain and suffering he caused.
2-sense: Lemur lady was not saying anything about unfairness to criminals (though I'll be unpopular by suggesting that such a thing can occur and should be addressed), but was just concerned that LGBT people shouldn't be generically lumped in with pedophiles (which I agree that barb wasn't doing).
What an animal.
Here are the two beautiful victims: http://mylifeofcrime.wordpress.com/2012/04/28/ignacia-yadira-karla-martinez-murder-4162012-las-vegas-nv-bryan-clay-arrested-for-their-murders/
Hang the sick S.O.B. Wait, that may be too good for him. Torture first
delmar,
How about a 9mm round right between the eyes? Piece of sh!t does'nt deserve to breathe the same air we are!
We need to get back to the good old Western days when these low lifes like these were t aken out and hung as soon as it was proven that they did it instead of living at tax payers expense in prison where he gets color tv., etc. Or better yet, cut off his d...
I second this!
I second that!
I second that!
HELP ! Where is Al Sharpton & Jessee Jackson ? ?
Really ?? shame on you !!!
Why?
The boys are out of sight on this one !!
This is an open and shut case . They can not make any hay out of this one. The DNA tells the whole story
Why should Jesse and Al bother? This man was not the innocent victim in this case.
@Michael-412302
Jesse and Al don't know that Martin was an innocent victim either. In case you haven't been paying attention there hasn't been a trial in the Zimmerman case yet.
Mike Davidson what do you want with those useless jokers. They only show up when there is something to harp on when a white dude is involved - racist stuff, you know. Black folks are not racist - remember??? So they are, as usual, a no show. Better though, who needs them?
And without all the publicity, there never would of been a trial. That said, time to let the courts take their course.
@Ed-680993
And if he's found to be not guilty it will have been nothing but a show trial to sate the public outcry. Allowing the uninformed public to determine who goes to trial hardly seems like a positive thing.
and there will be rioting in the streets.
Well according to the logic used in the Zimmerman\Martin case, this would be a Black on White hate crime so where is all the 24/7 media coverage and outrage????????
The "outrage" Roscoe was the fact that a shooting occurred and nobody was charged or even booked. Now to this story, clearly the scum that did this heinous act is in custody as the article stated and hopefully he we be charged, convicted and sentenced to the harshest punishment the state is able to.
That's because you need evidence and probable cause to arrest and try somone for a crime and they had neither.
No appeal, this is sick. Lay off the hoodie jokes. Put a suit on him and he'll still commit the crime because that's who he is, predator of the innocence. As God's message of love is forgotten, the devil shall rule the mind.
You're right, enough of this hoody crap. 9 murders in northern N.H. and NONE of them wore hoodies. I do agree with some of the above comments, if they are guilty, hang them, no trial at peoples expense.
Hamman01, how about we let a trial determine a persons guilt, or innocence, before hanging the "guilty" party. No trial, no proof of guilt or innocence. No trial means mob justice, what we saw with a lot of riots in the past, where a lot of innocent people were seriously injured and killed. And what the media strives to create, so they have more "horror stories" to interest the people with no real life. You know, the people that want to stir controversy, just to make a name for themselves.
product of the revolving door prison system. And look people, no guns were involved! Just good ole fashion bludgeoning. And no media outrage here. Why isn't Obama saying "Bryan Clay looks like my son"?
Why is it considered a hate crime when race is involved? An evil deed against anyone I feel should be a hate crime, especially if it causes a death.
This story sure sounds like a hate crime to me, why would this person just attack people in their home and do such horrific thing to the family, Makes no sense, this man is pure evil, he should be put to death, or better yet set him in a room with the families men and let them have at him. In my opinion.
diana-1091347
if it is to be a hate crime it would be because of a hate of women. The article stated that it is believe he had also attacked a 50 year old woman. Black on white crime or white on black crime doesn't automatically mean 'hate'. When crime is perpetrated BECAUSE of race it MAY.
Drag him behind the truck hoodie and all.
BETTER YET just shoot him dead
To all the idiots who cannot seem to understand why Zimmerman's case is different, let me attempt to explain again: Unlike this monster, Zimmerman WAS NOT ARRESTED for killing an innocent kid who did nothing to provoke the attack. Are you so daft, and or racist, not to understand this??!
So what you are telling us is this puke was arrested only because he is Black?
How do you know? Where you there to witness it yourself that Martin didn't attack him as he told the police? And why is GZ being blamed for the police actions.
Jim-343 ~ Listen to Zimmerman 911 call. I feel it was not about race, just a man upset with the problems in the area. Did more than what he should have. If you corner me I will attach also. But this is about a sick fool that needs to get the death penalty as soon as possible once found guilty.
Zimmerman was arrested but it took more time because the case was less clear.
punching people in the face for "dis'respecting" is nothing and bashing his head into a sidewalk is innocent? he acted like a feral animal and got put down like one....why is this even an issue
ejbr thanks for trying to enlighten the uneducated here. What you are failing to grasp is that these racist, backwards, uneducated, subhuman "a"holes are actually ignorant because ignorant is what they want to be and they will never become enlightened until they desire to become intelligent rather than to remain as ignorant racist bastards as they love to be.
Give him the death penalty. He is nothing but a savage!!!
Any other rabid animal would be put down for attacking humans. These won't because they have been dressed up and trained to mimic humans.
Trained poorly.............
What a horrible thing this is,,,I pray for the souls of the lost and for the family left behind,,,,,,,,As far as the jokes go on this vine,,,come on guys, this is not political, this is an american tragedy!!!!!! Have you no humanity???? Think I already know the answer,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,RIP
omega1 you are right. this isn't about Jesse Jackass and grease ball Al. It is about this 22 year old black piece of trash. It is a HATE crime but Holder is holed up like the other racist monsters around the world. Black is only a color because this monster within could be any color or any race!
He needs lots of therapy and attention, Chico and the boys will make sure he gets more than enough of it.
Where Jesse and Al and the NAACP on this one???And black people say its a consperiency that the prisons are full of black young men. Wheres the white man in this so they can blame him? Its gotta be all the whitemans fault somewhere in this tragedy.
I'm sure that someone, somewhere agrees with you, and they probably are disciples of Farrakhan, but I don't think most people of color see things through that prism. It's a shame that the sum total of Jesse and Al's work has been to perpetuate that view, but they only get involved when there are lots of TV cameras and reporters around. If that happens, it wouldn't surprise me to see them on their soapboxes again.
What a stupid RACIST statement!
Go drink some moonshine.
Forget about Obama, Sharpton, and Travon and Zimmerman. NOTHING to do with them.
Just another "Mad dog killer" that happens to be black. They come in all colors, shapes and sizes.
These comments sure bring out the racists ad rednecks . At least we know who you are now.
Thanks for exposing yourselves. No wonder this country is such a mess. You idiots will NEVER give this hate towards another race up, will you?
Your comment is racist. Check it out.
Sorry Dandaman rightfully pointing out that someone is a racist is not a racist coment, whereas your statement wrongfully calling a factual statement racist is in fact racist and points the finger back at you.
Those pants he is wearing have meaning in the prison system, it's were the "look" originated. Wearing you pants low on your hips means you're available for man love. Really this guy should hang until dead, no chance for prison love. Where do animals like this come from? I don't care what kind of poverty stricken neighborhood you're raised in, being poor doesn't make you a vicious murdering rapist pedophile.
What has happened to the American people. We should have a court only for people like this. It would consist of three judges and the case would be tried within two weeks from suspect being apprehended. The case would need concrete evidence, DNA, video, fingerprints, something very solid. The case would last one to two days, no bull@!$%# lawyers dragging it out. When the case is over one appeal would happen within one week. If there is solid evidence the person would be hanged in public within one week. It could be watched on pay per view for out of towners for a $10.00 fee. Venders would serve food and drinks. People would be advised to bring their whole family including children of ANY age, and enjoy the show. It would not take long for the attitudes about crime to change in this very lost country. Because of the judicial system we currently have (which has failed like everything else our government does) the crime only continues to get worse by the year. It's not a race thing it's a punishment thing. The death penalty is a joke in America today, how sad. GOD help the USA.
Screw the trial. Just execute the bastard.
Shoot the bastard. He'll try and get off by saying he's a pour nig— — _, cause his mama had 20 kids with 22 men he has no papa yap yap yap. Save money, keep neighborhoods clean shoot this sucker now. Where the mob when you need them.
Probably in your back yard with their white hoods on "gettin ready for the meetin".
What kind of back-ass, bull shi— thinking are you spouting.
What a hater - you make the world a worse place.
Yaknowit'sthetruth!
Actually it's people like you with your half-assed way of thinking that make the world a worse place.
If you like these nig--rs so much why not house a couple dozen of them.
Wow, what a moron...!
Which one, cybertoe?
Thanks Bubbacat - Looks like we got you figured out now too -