'I was drinking and then I don't know.' Speeding driver accused of 3 murders in crash

Two women and a girl killed when their SUV burst into flames in a horrific crash near the Zaragoza Bridge died of blunt force trauma and not the fire, according to preliminary autopsy results, a state prosecutor said.

The causes of death were mentioned Wednesday at a teleconference bond hearing for Carlos Alejandro Martinez, 21, of Horizon City, who faces three counts of murder along with charges of causing a death while evading arrest and possession of cocaine.

On Oct. 14, Martinez was allegedly fleeing from an El Paso police officer who tried to pull him over for speeding when Martinez ran a red light and T-boned the SUV at the intersection of Zaragoza Road and South Americas Avenue.

The victims were identified by family and court documents as the driver, Nikki Delgadillo, 31, front passenger, Marylin Aileen Rojas, 27, and her daughter, 8-year-old Delilah Madelyn Rodriguez, who was in the back seat.

Defense lawyer: Murder charges 'a stretch' in fatal Zaragoza crash

At the bond hearing, Martinez's attorney, Dereck L. Wyatt, suggested that prosecutors were overcharging his client with murder, saying he had a similar case about eight years ago resulting in a mistrial.

"I understand their theory of murder on these (cases), but it's a little bit of a stretch," Wyatt told Magistrate Judge Antonio Aun.

Martinez was initially booked into the El Paso County Jail Downtown on a total bond of $3.5 million ($1 million on each murder charge). At the hearing, Aun reduced the bond total to $2.41 million (including $750,000 on each murder case).

Martinez had made it up to the 10th grade at Horizon High School and had been working for the last eight months selling solar panels, Wyatt said. If freed from jail on bond, he would live with his mother near Riverside High School.

According to a complaint affidavit filed by El Paso police, Martinez is accused of murder for allegedly committing "an act clearly dangerous to human life" by refusing to stop and speeding away from police while evading arrest in a vehicle, which is a felony under Texas law.

Speeding driver, deadly collision

About 8:25 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, an El Paso police officer, identified as Officer D. Lopez, was stationary doing speeding enforcement on the César Chávez Border Highway near Padres Drive as part of the grant-funded Texas Department of Transportation's Selective Traffic Enforcement Program, or STEP, according to the complaint affidavit.

Officer Lopez saw a brown SUV eastbound approaching his patrol car from the rear at a high speed. Police radar clocked the SUV going 77 mph in a 60 mph zone, the affidavit stated.

The officer turned on his flashing red-and-blue lights and attempted to pull over the Nissan Armada for speeding.

At the bond hearing, Assistant District Attorney Raoaa King mentioned that police information showed that the Nissan slowed down slightly and then sped up to 82 mph.

The driver didn't stop and exited at Americas Avenue. The affidavit stated that "the officer was unable to close the distance" between the police car and the speeding SUV.

A police news release stated that the officer "disengaged" the traffic stop. From a distance, the officer saw the SUV enter the intersection of Americas Avenue and Zaragoza Road, the affidavit stated.

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The Nissan Armada slammed into a 2008 Mazda Tribute at a 90-degree angle at the intersection before both SUVs slid across the intersection, the affidavit stated.

The Mazda then crashed into a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu, stopped at a red light, waiting to go north on Zaragoza before the Mazda crashed into a traffic light pole, where it came to rest. The Mazda was leaking gasoline underneath and soon caught fire.

Several witnesses told police that the Nissan entered the intersection on a red light at a high speed.

SUV bursts into flames with victims inside

After the crash, police video allegedly recorded Martinez attempting to leave the scene after he exited his vehicle, King said.

A bystander's TikTok video circulating on social media shows Officer Lopez scuffle with Martinez, who at one point attempts to open the rear hatch of the SUV that burned. The officer shocks him with an electric stun gun and Martinez falls sideways to the ground before being arrested.

In the video, law enforcement officers drag Martinez away before flames start flowing out from underneath the SUV as onlookers off camera yell, saying there are people inside. The SUV became engulfed in fire despite efforts by police and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to douse the flames with fire extinguishers.

All three occupants of the Mazda were inside the SUV as it burned and died at the scene.

A preliminary autopsy report by county medical examiner Dr. Mario A. Rascon indicates that the victims "died from blunt force trauma, not the fire," King said at the hearing.

'I was drinking and then I don't know'

Police noted that Martinez allegedly had an odor of alcohol on his breath, along with glassy, watery eyes, the affidavit stated. Martinez had seatbelt marks on the left side of his neck and chest. There was blood on the left side of his face and possible injuries to his left elbow and hands. He told police that everything hurt.

King added that police allegedly found 8.5 grams of cocaine in a little strap bag that Martinez had with him.

When questioned by another police officer, Martinez confirmed that he was the driver of the Nissan and that the vehicle belonged to his "jefe," Spanish slang for "father" though it means "boss" or "chief."

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Police reported that Martinez "appeared to be lost," confused and evasive. He told police that he didn't know what happened. He didn't know where he was or where he was attempting to drive to, the affidavit stated.

Police asked him what was the last thing he remembered. "I was drinking and then I don't know," Martinez replied, according to the affidavit.

Was anyone else in his vehicle before the crash? "No, yes, I don't know." Martinez answered.

Affidavit: Passenger told driver to brake before crash

Martinez and his passengers, Alex Bolado, 24, of Horizon City, and Isaih Dominguez, 21, of El Paso, were injured and taken to hospitals. Dominguez's injuries were serious and he remains hospitalized, the prosecution said Wednesday.

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At University Medical Center of El Paso, police spoke with Bolado, the front passenger in the Armada. Bolado said his friend Martinez was driving eastbound on the highway when they passed a law enforcement vehicle on the side of the roadway, the affidavit stated.

Bolado told police that he felt the SUV going faster when police got behind them. Bolado recalled telling Martinez to brake as they approached the Americas Avenue and Zaragoza Road intersection before the collision, the affidavit stated.

The impact caused Dominguez, who was in the rear seat, to be thrown into the front seats. Bolado recalled the other SUV catching on fire and CBP officers assisting at the scene, according to the affidavit.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: New details in El Paso case of driver accused of 3 murders in crash