Mysterious Memorial Day Murder of Enrique Roman Martinez

the army mystery in the case of enrique ramon martinez

**Episode Transcription

In today’s episode, we’ll cover the charges against seven US soldiers for crimes relating to the death of a fellow soldier, the call for answers, and the continued investigation into a case that questions the Army’s communication and investigation. This is the case of Spc. Enrique Roman-Martinez right now on Love and Murder

Welcome everyone! Welcome to a new episode of Love and Murder – the weekly true crime podcast discussing relationships gone terribly wrong. Where our motto is [you’re either someone’s last love or first murder]

I am your host Ky and this show discusses true crime cases told in the form of a story with mystery and suspense.

Be sure to subscribe to Love and Murder on Spotify, Apple or whatever platform you’re on so you don’t miss any of the cases.

I didn’t put out an episode this weekend, as I took a long weekend off like everyone else in the states. However, I still wanted to bring my LaMs their weekly episode so in place of the Midweek Mini, I’m doing the full. Also, in light of Memorial Day, I wanted to bring you a case about a soldier in hopes that we can help this family and get them some answers. This is the case of Spc. Enrique Roman-Martinez.

But first, I wanted to remind you to head on over to our exclusive group at patreon.com/loveandmurder. Our last bonus episode was a fun one where Char and I answered questions of AITA. In this week’s bonus, I’m talking about a case of a serial rapist who got what he deserved in the end.

Now, on to the show…

Enrique Roman-Martinez, affectionately called Ki-Qu by his family, was born on September 7, 1998. He was described as a sweet, shy, respectful young man from Chino, CA. He never like to argue or fight and worked hard at avoiding bad situations if he could.

“I’ve never really seen my brother angry. He was just very sensitive. He was very funny, he loved to make jokes. He was incredibly giving and generous.”

In September 2016, when he was 17, he joined the US Army – starting out as a 3 time volunteer – so that he would become a better person and to help his family out financially. At the time he joined, his mother had been working 3 jobs to care for the family.

“He felt like it was gonna make him a better man. He knew he lagged and he wanted to go so he could learn discipline and responsibility.”

He was stationed in Ft. Bragg, NC in March 2017. He worked at the Headquarters Company, 37th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division as a human resources specialist. During his time in the military, Enrique earned the Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the Army Parachutist Badge and was actually 3 months into finishing his enlistment.

“He was a sweet kid. He would take his shirt off his back for everybody.”

On Friday, May 22, 2020 Enrique went on a Memorial Day camping trip with some of his buddies, seven other soldiers, on South Core Banks, one of two barrier islands of Cape Lookout National Seashore in North Carolina. The soldiers who went with Enrique were Spcs. Juan Avila, Alex R. Becerra, Joshua L. Curry, Benjamin E. Sibley, Pvt. Annamarie L. Cochell, Pfc. Samad A. Landrum and Sgt. Samuel O. Moore

According to their reports, they took a ferry out to the island and began setting up their campsite around midnight.

On the evening of Saturday, May 23 between 7 to 7:30pm, Enrique was reported through a phone call to the police by Alex Becerra. No one had any answers except that the last time they had seen Enrique was on Friday the 22nd; they’d all said they’d not seen him all day that day.

“We woke up. He was not here. And we’ve been looking for him all day. We were trying to find the park ranger, or their offices or anything. We might be afraid that he hurt himself. We’re not really sure.” When the operator asked if he had any mental issues, Alex responded with, “He wasn’t diagnosed, but he did have suicidal tendencies.”

Alex, Annamarie Cochell, and Samad Landrum told investigators that they’d left the island on May 22 at 3am to go to get on a ferry in Davis, NC. The rest of the soldiers agreed with these events, however; they all left out a couple of names of who was on the trip when they told investigators what happened that night. Also, 3 of the soldiers also denied that there was any drug use going on on the camp site during their stay.

In their reports, they stated that while setting up camp, Enrique’s tent was blown over by a strong gust of wind. They helped him to set it up and, as soon as they finished, Enrique allegedly walked away without a word. He left with only some blue shorts on, no shirt, no cellphone, no wallet, no supplies, nothing. For some reason, I find this highly unlikely.

The next morning, around 8:30am, they said they spent the entire day searching for Enrique but couldn’t find him.

Search efforts immediately started to locate Enrique. The search started at South Core Banks at around mile marker 46 and continued through Shackleford Banks and surrounding areas, including the immediate ocean area. “His phone and wallet were found at the campsite” a report stated, and in an interview his sister mentioned that his glasses had been found too. “Enrique couldn’t see without his glasses so he would have never gone anywhere without them on.” Military and Civilian investigators alike searched via ground and air and dealt with heavy winds, rain, and rough sea. However, they persevered but, during the search, very few clues were found.

During the investigation, authorities found a report that the campers had been approached by a park ranger on that Saturday morning. The ranger had come to tell them to move their cars because they were parked in a no parking zoon. Wait a second, on the 911 call didn’t they say that they couldn’t find a park ranger?!

Six days later, on May 29, park rangers located a head which had washed up on shore of Shackelford Banks. Dental records positively identified the severed head as Enrique’s. Four days later, on June 2, the search for anything else was suspended.

Using the head, the medical examiner was unable to determine if decapitation caused his death, but said that the findings “are most consistent with death due to homicide.”

The Division of Forensic Pathology at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine said in their report, “While decapitation is, in and of itself, universally fatal, the remainder of the body in this case was not available for examination, and therefore potential causes of death involving the torso and extremities cannot be excluded. A definitive cause of death cannot be determined, (but) the findings in this case are most consistent with death due to homicide.”

The medical examiner also performed a toxicology test on the head and it was found that Enrique had no evidence of drugs in his system. The report also stated that the jaw was broken in at least two places and “evidence of multiple chop injuries of the head.”

The wound was ¾” deep, up the cervical spine to the seventh cervical vertebrae and was crescent-shaped.

Three of the soldiers who went camping with Roman-Martinez were charged with different crimes, but the cause of his death remains unknown and none of the charges were due to the disappearance. Officials spent thousands of hours investigating the case, and the Army even offered a reward of $50,000, now up from $25,000 for any credible information concerning the circumstances of his death.

Roman-Martinez’s family has been anguished by his disappearance, and they’re frustrated by the lack of answers. His sisters have been particularly hard hit, “I just want to know why. Why my little brother? He was a sweet kid. He would take his shirt of his back for everybody. I am suffering, but it’s nothing compared to what my mom is going through. This was her baby.” His older sister, Griselda Martinez said.

In the summer of 2021, Spc. Alex Becerra, one of the soldiers who went camping with Roman-Martinez, faced charges of conspiracy, disobeying a superior officer, failure to obey an order, making a false statement, and misusing, possessing, or manufacturing a controlled substance. Two other soldiers, Pfc. Samad Landrum and Pvt. Annamarie Cochell, face charges of using LSD the night that Roman-Martinez died, violating Fort Bragg’s COVID-19 travel rules, and conspiring with unnamed people to make a false statement the day Roman-Martinez was reported missing.

The rest of the soldiers were all given different charges and different sentencing, all for similar actions. All of the soldiers were charged with using LSD, disobeying a superior officer, and making false statements.

All seven have all been arraigned and their trials are scheduled from May to September.

With the charges against the soldiers, it initially gave the family hope that more information will come out, however; three years later and they are still searching for answers.

On October 19, 2021, California Representative Norma Torres wrote a letter discussing her disapproval of how the investigation was handled. She also requested that he inspector general review the case in detail, conduct a review of the Army’s investigative process and provide feedback on any potential ways to improve the process moving forward.

“This young man was a hero. At 17 years old, he really wanted to serve his country, and had to get permission from his mother to do so … I think that we owe our personnel at the very least and their families the respect of giving them answers.”

To this day, she has been advocating for the Roman-Martinez family by asking the Army for investigation updates and encouraging the public to come forward with any information. According to Torres, the Army initially treated the disappearance as if Roman-Martinez had gone AWOL [Absent Without Leave], and critical time was lost in potentially finding evidence. Torres says she’s “very unhappy” that the Army didn’t act more quickly. After the Army’s criminal investigation division (CID) was notified, an investigation was launched, which lasted for 18 months. During this time, CID special agents, FBI personnel and the FBI’s behavioral analysis unit conducted more than 400 interviews and submitted more than 100 items for analysis. The investigation reached a point where there were no unaddressed investigative leads. But even after the investigation, the family is left still searching for answers and justice.

Norma and the Roman-Martinez family have complained about the lack of communication from the Army. When it comes to military personnel and their investigations, the Army holds information close to their chest, which can make it challenging to obtain timely updates about ongoing cases.

The investigation has now been labeled as a cold case. However, according to the CID, they are still actively trying to solve the case by using specialized techniques that are typically employed in cold cases. According to Chris Grey, a CID spokesperson, these methods involve reviewing evidence periodically to analyze if any recent technological developments or investigative techniques can be utilized to provide a fresh perspective to the cold case. It also includes continued efforts to develop information from the public as well as guidance from law enforcement experts.

“After exhausting hundreds of leads and thousands of hours of investigation, there are no more credible investigative leads remaining at this time, but the case itself is not ‘closed,’ it is in a cold case status. As always, if new information pertinent to any of our investigations becomes available, CID can and often does reopen investigations if warranted.” – Jeffrey Castro, an Army Criminal Investigation Division spokesman

There is also a larger question on Norma’s mind about which agency should have jurisdiction in cases where military personnel commits a crime that is located outside of an active military base. For example, in the current case, the Army had taken over the investigation, but Norma wonders if local park rangers or other authorities might have more knowledge into the landscape and the potential motives stemming from that landscape.

As the investigation continues, Norma encourages anyone to come forward if they have any information that could help in solving the case. At the end of the day, it is about bringing closure to the Roman-Martinez family and ensuring that justice is served for their loved one.

His sister, Griselda Martinez, expressed her disappointment and grief in a CBS LA interview, saying, “And this is what happened to him? We only have a part of him, that’s it. This is not right. This should never have happened to my brother.” It’s definitely a tragic story, and we’ll keep you updated as more information comes to light.

“This tragic death is a real mystery on what exactly happened. All logical theories or suspicions that were developed to date have been investigated and either discounted or disproven.” – Steve Chancellor, CID Special Investigator.

The behavior of the soldiers who went camping with him, as well as the sequence of events surrounding his disappearance, have left many questions unanswered.

“A lot of people took his kindness for weakness and that was the strongest thing about him. We’re fearing his death just over three years ago has been forgotten.”

Enrique’s goal, when he left the military, was to help people who had mental health illnesses, with a focus on PTSD, as his dream job as a pharmacologiest.

It’s a tragic loss that his family and loved ones are still struggling to come to terms with, and they won’t rest until justice is served.

If you have any information about Enrique’s disappearance, Please contact the CID at 910-396-8777. It could be anonymous, but also remember that there is a $50,000 reward leading to the arrest and conviction of the people involved in his murder.

You can also find a link in the show notes below to sign a petition for justice for Enrique.

So what do you think of this case? Do you think it sounds fishy? Do you think the 7 soldiers either know what happened to him or did something to him? I’d love to hear your opinions. You have 3 ways to let me know:

You can tell me in the comments below
You can join the LaM facebook group. It’s a free and welcoming group where you can discuss the cases with the rest of the LaMs
You can join the exclusive LaM community here at www.patreon.com/loveandmurder Right now we have options starting at only $1/mo

Speaking of which, if you join Patreon at only $1/mo you get commercial free episodes – so like this episode minus the commercials and also with all the additions of the case – pictures, videos, pictures of evidence. All of that. Get in now at the $1 and be grandfathered in because soon this tier is going up due to all the extras you’ll be getting. The best tier is the $5/mo and above because not only do you get these things, but you also get bonus episodes and access to everything that I post throughout the web. You get it all here in this one little community.

www.patreon.com/loveandmurder. Come on over, we’d love to have you.

Before you go, don’t forget to give me a 5 star review on whatever platform you’re on. That would help me out greatly and it takes no time at all. So thanks in advance.