.Wilbur Ernesto Martinez-Guzman, a 20-year-old illegal alien from El Salvador, was charged with murdering 56-year-old Connie Koontz, 74-year-old Sophia Renken, 81-year-old Gerald David, and his 80-year-old wife, Sharon David, between January 10 and 15 after prosecutors said he was looking to steal money from his victims to buy more meth. The state of Nevada is seeking the death penalty.
To avoid the death penalty, though, Martinez-Guzman will seek to the deemed "intellectually disabled" which would make him ineligible for the death penalty, the News Agency that Dare Not be Named reports:
[Public defenders] say information gathered so far shows [Martinez-Guzman’s] IQ is much lower than originally believed and that he may have been exposed to pesticides and fertilizers while working in farm fields in his native country.
"Based on the investigation to date, there is a good faith basis to believe that Mr. Guzman is ineligible for the death penalty because he may be intellectually disabled. There could be no greater insult to public justice that to execute someone that as a matter of law is ineligible for capital punishment," Washoe County Public Defender John Arrascada wrote in the Oct. 4 motion.
So far, prosecutors have said there is not enough evidence to rule out the death penalty for Martinez-Guzman. The illegal alien’s attorneys are looking to have the trial moved to February 2021 despite the current trial date of April 2020.
Illegal aliens charged with murder have routinely been using the "intellectually disabled" defense to avoid being put to death. In the case of illegal alien gang member Apolinar Altamirano, who allegedly murdered 21-year-old Grant Ronnebeck in January 2015, was able to be deemed "intellectually disabled" in order to avoid the death penalty.
Among those allegedly murdered by Martinez-Guzman was Connie Koontz, a mother, whose mother’s 80th birthday was the following day. Koontz, herself, was set to turn 57 five days after her murder. A GoFundMe page has been created to help the Koontz family in the wake of her murder.
Also allegedly murdered was 74-year-old Sophia Renken, as well as Gerald and Sharon David, who were both beloved members of the South Reno community. Gerald was president of the Reno Rodeo Association in 2006 and Sharon was a member of the group.