Woman Charged After Ballistics, DNA and Phone Data Link Her to Connecticut Homicide
Court filings reveal detailed forensic and cellphone evidence that prosecutors say connect Cynthia Martinez to the March killing and frame the case for trial.
Overview
- Investigators say Derick Mercado-Labonte was shot twice and his body was discovered in a Farmington wooded area on March 19, with an autopsy ruling the death a homicide.
- Prosecutors allege ballistics tests tied shell casings and a bullet to a firearm registered to Martinez and that Mercado-Labonte’s DNA was found on the gun’s trigger.
- Court documents state Martinez’s phone made web searches, including “Does God forgive murderers?” on the morning of March 16, which investigators cite as probative of mindset.
- Cell-site ‘area dump’ data and CCTV allegedly place Martinez’s device and vehicle in several of the same locations as the victim and show contact between their phones after the pair met at a Middletown bar days earlier.
- Martinez, who has been charged with murder, weapons and tampering offenses and is held on bond, denies knowing the victim and investigators say a clear motive has not yet been established.