A man arrested with a severed hand in his pocket claims he is innocent of murdering a woman he claims he hired as a prostitute. according to to the Colorado Police Department.
Renee Portillo's body was discovered on January 10 near Fountain Creek in Pueblo.
Solomon Martinez was arrested after police found a severed hand inside a plastic bag in the breast pocket of his jacket, according to an arrest affidavit. According to police, the man admitted that two days had passed since he severed her hand, but denied killing the woman.
Martinez worked as a security guard at the Pueblo Arts Center.
His roommate, Joshua Mazurko, told police that Martinez offered to pay Mazurko to help him dig a large hole.
“He walked up to me and said, “Do you want to forgive $1,000 of your debt?'' I said, 'No,''' Mazurko said. told KRDO-TV.
He went on to say that he refused to help Martinez but watched the man wash blood from his hands at the car wash.
“It was scary. I was beyond scared. Well, I can't even put into words how physically scared I was,” Mazurko added.
Martinez denies killing Portillo, but claims he hired Portillo as a prostitute and refused to pay her several hours later, police said. He also said he had lent his car to a homeless man named James and that he was the one who killed Portillo. according to in the arrest affidavit.
portillo family Said She has three children and many grandchildren.
Martinez has been charged with first-degree murder and is being held on $1 million bail.
Here's local news about the incident:
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