Laramie, Wyoming

From the Laramie Boomerang of November 25, 2005

Laramie man shot and killed

Brandon Martinez, a 19-year-old Laramie resident, was shot and killed Friday morning at 2 a.m.

Martinez was allegedly trying to enter the house at 712 Russell to make contact with an estranged girlfriend when James Martino, age 55, shot Martinez once in the chest with a .22-caliber handgun, said Commander Dale Stalder of the Laramie Police Department.

No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing as to whether the shooting was justified, said Stalder. County Attorney Richard Bohling is assisting with the investigation, but his office was closed on Friday.

Martinez had a stick or bat in his hand when he was trying to enter the house, said Stalder. Though Martinez had breached the front door at some point, Stalder was not sure if he was in the house at the time he was shot.

Martinez had only lived in Laramie for six months, and police do not know why he moved here. He was not a student and didn’t have a permanent residence in town. His parents live in Blaine, Wash., and Jerns Funeral Chapel is planning to handle the funeral arrangements. Funeral home director Sig Aase expected the body to be released either Friday evening or Saturday morning.

Police received a call at 1:50 a.m. from a woman at 712 Russell who said a man was trying to gain access to their house and her husband had a weapon. Police lost contact with the caller, and by the time they made it to her residence, Martinez had been shot. He was taken to the hospital, but pronounced dead shortly thereafter. The county coroner was conducting a forensic autopsy Friday evening.

Stalder estimates law enforcement should be able to determine if a crime was committed by early next week. Martino had not been drinking, but police do not yet know if Martinez had been drinking.

The woman Martinez was trying to contact was a family friend of the Martinos.

From the Laramie Boomerang of March 10, 2006

County rules justifiable homicide

James Martino, a 55-year-old Laramie resident, will not be charged in the shooting death of 19-year-old Brandon Martinez on Nov. 25, according to the conclusion of County Attorney Richard Bohling.

Martino shot Martinez with a .22-caliber rifle around 2 a.m. late Thanksgiving night through the front door of his house after an argument with Krystal Sorenson, Martinez’s girlfriend who went to Martino’s house at 712 Russell.

“The overwhelming bulk of this material either supports or fails to contradict the version of events related by Mr. Martino in his statement made shortly after the shooting occurred,” said Bohling in his letter to Robert Deutsch, Chief of Police for Laramie. “In my assessment of this material, I acknowledge the conflicting information that has been provided by Krystal Sorenson, the girlfriend of Mr. Martinez. However, the background investigation conducted by Sgt. Ernst into both the history of the deceased and Ms. Sorenson clearly indicates that Mr. Martino’s description of what happened is more credible.”

Sorenson, the 16-year-old girlfriend of Martinez who moved down to Laramie with him from Blaine, Wash., told this newspaper back in November that Martinez never had a weapon and never tried to enter the house.

“The police had to kick the door in to enter; they should know this,” said Sorenson.

The police report indicates Martinez was trying to force his way into the house at the time Martino fired the fatal shot through a closed door. The report also states that Martino knew Martinez, and that his knowledge of Martinez and Martinez’s “prior contacts with law enforcement” made the threats Martino heard more credible.

(Much more)