LAS CRUCES – Doña Ana County District Attorney Mark D’Antonio on Tuesday announced that Rudolfo A. Martinez, 37, was convicted of second-degree murder for the 2016 stabbing death of Christopher S. Wray.
D’Antonio and Assistant District Attorney Kelly Herson prosecuted the case for the state. The jury returned a guilty verdict after deliberating for two hours.
Martinez, who lived in Roswell, New Mexico, testified he was in Las Cruces to work on a roofing job, and that he had never met Wray before the day of the murder. On the evening of July 1, 2016, officers from the Las Cruces Police Department were dispatched to a reported stabbing in the parking lot of the Western Inn, 2155 W. Picacho Ave. There, they found Wray suffering from multiple stab wounds, police said.
Wray was transported to MountainView Regional Medical Center for treatment, but was pronounced dead hours later.
Witnesses told police that they saw Martinez and Wray walking together near hotel before the incident. The men appeared to know one another, according to witnesses. Martinez testified he had just met Wray, and had asked him if he knew where to buy illegal drugs.
At some point, a verbal altercation turned physical, which led to Martinez stabbing Wray 25 times with an unknown object, which was never recovered.
“In preparation for this trial, I worked closely with the family of Chris Wray,” D’Antonio said. “My heart breaks for their loss, and I sincerely hope that today’s verdict brings them a little peace, and a sense of justice for this senseless murder.”
State District Judge Douglas R. Driggers ordered a pre-sentence report, and sentencing will be scheduled at a later date. Martinez faces a maximum sentence of 19 years in prison.
Information from Third Judicial District Attorney's office