News

Actions

Man arrested for allegedly having sex with dead woman near abandoned restaurant

Posted at 9:31 PM, Jun 29, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-30 13:56:52-04

57-year-old Joseph Martinez was arrested in Las Vegas on Sunday after he was reportedly seen having sex with a deceased woman.

A witness said the sex act took place inside a flower planter box located near a local restaurant.

A witness told police that he was walking his dog when he saw a man lying on top of a woman and "thrusting his hips into her." The witness said that he did not realize that the woman was dead until another person walked up to the suspect and said "She's dead."

That person was identified as Hugo Garcia, pastor of A Place for Miracles Church, which is located in the same area. The pastor told police he was approaching the front doors of the church when he heard the suspect ask him to call 911.

Garcia says he walked over to the planter box and it was obvious to him that the woman was dead by the color of her body. He said he did not know that the suspect had sex with the woman before his arrival and did not observe any obvious injuries to the deceased female.

During an interview with Martinez, he told police officers that he met the woman the night before after she was kicked out of University Medical Center because she was on drugs.

He also said that he was trying to take care of her and that she was acting crazy. He described giving the woman orange juice and it spilling out of her mouth.

Martinez admitted to police that he had sex with the woman but said that she was still alive. He then asked why the police officer was asking him so many questions. The officer responded that he was investigating the death of the woman and the suspect then said he wanted to "lawyer up."

Medical personnel summoned by the police said that the woman appeared to have been dead for quite some time and rigor mortis was present. The arrest reported also said that a police officer noticed the body was purple and stiff.

The Clark County coroner will release the name of the deceased and her official cause of death.

Martinez is scheduled to appear in court on July 5.