Jury selection begins Monday in the murder trial of Nathan Martinez, who is accused of killing a 17-year-old in a 2023 drive-by shooting that investigators linked through ballistic evidence to a separate shooting that left two men dead and five others wounded.
>>READ MORE: 17-year-old shot outside his home during drive-by has died from his injuries
Martinez faces a murder charge in the death of Julian Junior Robledo, he and his mother were shot at while sitting under their carport in August 2023. Martinez also faces a separate capital murder case stemming from a June 2022 shooting that killed two men and injured five other people. That case remains pending.
Investigators have said ballistic evidence, including matching shell casings, connected the shootings.
>>READ MORE: Ballistic evidence ties teen to multiple shootings, deaths, SAPD says
According to SAPD, investigators connected Martinez to multiple shootings through ballistic evidence collected at three separate scenes.
The first shooting happened June 18, 2022, in the 2500 block of Patron Drive, where a family was gathered for a barbecue. Police said a dark-colored SUV drove past the home and opened fire, with an estimated 20 to 30 rounds fired.
Two men, Alejandro Gomez-Soliz, 45, and Juan Gomez, 46, were killed. Five other people were wounded, according to police.
Martinez was later stopped with two other people in an unrelated incident and arrested on drug and prohibited-firearm possession allegations but was later able to post bail.
In August 2023, Robledo and his mother were sitting under their carport drinking coffee at a home in the 2800 block of Mosscircle Drive when they were shot at. Robledo died from his injuries two days later. His mother was not hurt, but a women inside the home was injured.
Police collected a large amount of ballistic evidence at the scene, police said at the time.
SAPD said investigators found posts in which Martinez allegedly bragged about “taking down a rival gang member” and described using a firearm modification known as a switch to make a weapon fully automatic.
A third shooting occurred in August 2023 at an apartment complex in the 700 block of West Mayfield Drive. Police said a victim returned fire after being shot at. Although the victim was not cooperative with investigators, police collected additional ballistic evidence.
Investigators said evidence from the apartment shooting matched evidence from both the Mosscircle Drive and Patron Drive scenes, connecting the three incidents.
Martinez was eventually arrested without incident on warrants that included capital murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and murder.
Martinez was 18 and 19 when he was charged in nine cases spanning 2022 and 2023, including charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, murder and other weapons-related offenses.
According to court records, Martinez was a known gang member.
Jury selection begins Monday, Oct. 26.
If found guilty, Martinez faces up to life in prison.
A trial date has not been scheduled for the capital murder case.
