Pueblo security guard arrested with severed hand in pocket, charged with murder

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) - The Pueblo Police Department (PPD) arrested a security guard working at the Sangre De Cristo Arts Center for 1st Degree Murder on Jan. 10, 2024.

PPD says that 26-year-old, Solomon Martinez was arrested at the Sangre De Cristo Arts Center while he was working as a security guard. Martinez was employed by the former Pueblo County Sheriff, Dan Corsentino's, security guard company. Corsentino told KRDO13 Investigates that Martinez had zero criminal history and passed all background checks before being hired in late December. Corsentino says he had only worked a little over 52 hours for the company before being arrested.

When officers arrested him, court documents say that Martinez had a human hand in a plastic bag in his pocket.

On Jan. 10, PPD responded to a call at the Loaf N' Jug on Bonforte Blvd. in Pueblo. PPD says that the man who called showed responding officers a video of a decapitated body near Fountain Creek.

Court documents show that after viewing the video, officers searched the area and located a dead, decapitated, female body.

The man who initially called the police also told police about another witness, identified as Joshua Mazzurco.

Police interviewed Mazzurco about the incident. Court documents say that in the early morning hours of Jan. 9, 2024, Mazzurco and the initial caller were at a carwash near Troy Ave. and Constitution Rd. When Martinez arrived at the carwash, Mazzurco said he thought Martinez had been in a fight since there was dirt on Martinez's clothes and blood on his hands. Martinez used the stall's power washer to wash the blood off his hands.

According to court documents, Martinez then asked Mazzurco "...hey man you want to absolve $1,000 off your debt, I need you to dig a 10-foot hole." Mazzurco suspected that Martinez had just killed someone. Mazzurco was borrowing a tool bag from Martinez and when Martinez went to grab it from his car, Mazzurco said Martinez was trying to push something "big" out of the way and was struggling to do so.

Court documents say that later in the day at Mazzurco's house, Martinez told Mazzurco that the statement he made earlier was a prank and asked if Mazzurco thought it was funny. Mazzurco confirmed to police that Martinez moved in with him and his wife.

Court documents detail that Mazzurco told detectives that Martinez works for a security company and that he carried a handgun at all times along with wearing a black tactical vest with a leather jacket and black BDU pants while at work.

PPD says that Mazzurco's wife told police where Martinez was working at the time and patrol officers responded to the Sangre De Cristo Arts Center. Officers found a human hand inside a plastic bag in the left chest pocket of Martinez's jacket. He was taken into custody without issue. Responding officers also noted that Martinez's car had a red-colored smear, consistent with dried blood.

Martinez said at some point, near officers but before detectives contacted him, "I had a hand in my jacket for two days," according to court documents.

Police then questioned Martinez to get his version of events.

Court documents say that Martinez told police the initial reporting party borrowed his car and said that he must have killed the woman before returning the car to him. Eventually, Martinez told police that on the night of Jan. 8, he picked up a prostitute and that she demanded payment for a sexual act but he refused.

PPD says that a picture of the victim was shown to Martinez after identifying her using fingerprints and that Martinez identified her as the woman he picked up. Martinez claims he dropped the woman off at 2 or 3 in the morning and did not kill her.

Court documents say that Martinez admitted to having dried blood on the passenger seat and that he attempted to clean it up. Martinez said that the initial reporting party borrowed his car after he dropped the woman off and said that he must have found and killed her, also stating that his gun and phone were left in the car.

Court documents state that police asked Martinez to remove his gloves and that his hands were cut up. Martinez claimed the cuts were from his chihuahua's and later claimed they were from picking up dog poop in rocks and the rocks cutting his hand.

PPD says that they then questioned Martinez about evidence they may find on his phone. Martinez said that there were probably photos and videos on his phone since he left it in the car. Police also asked if Martinez thought they'd find the head and he said if they haven't already then they probably would at some point. Martinez also stated that he didn't know if it would have bullet holes in it because he hadn't checked his gun.

Court documents say that Martinez was being deceitful in his interview and was having difficulty remembering his location. The story Martinez told was also inconsistent with the evidence police already had.

Martinez now faces a charge of Murder in the First Degree.

Tuesday, KRDO13 Investigates spoke with Martinez's roommate, Joshua Mazzurco, who shared the horror of finding out a person he lived with for close to six months may have been capable of something like this.

"I was terrified. I was beyond terrified. Yeah. Like I can't even put into words how physically scared I was," Mazzurco said. "He was by himself with certain members of my family. He could have hurt anybody."

Late Tuesday, the CEO of the Sangre De Cristo Arts Center, Andy Sanchez, issued the following statements on Martinez's arrest:

 “We want to clarify that we are learning in real time about details involving a private security company guard on-site last week that was placed by the security company," Sanchez said.

Sanchez wanted the public to know that Martinez was not employed by the Arts Center, but by a third-party security company as stated in this article.

"We will make sure to keep the public informed the best way that we can and we hope that the Southern Colorado community is able to share this messaging in relation to the current news that is breaking about the investigation of Solomon Martinez, 26," Sanchez said.