Lowndes County woman pleads guilty to killing husband

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A Lowndes County woman has pled guilty to killing her husband.

The gruesome case involves a mother and daughter, along with the eventual burning of Manuel Vasquez’s body.

“It’s a terrible, terrible unexplainable crime that they committed,” said District Attorney Scott Colom.

Christina Martinez showed little emotion when pleading guilty to killing her husband, Manuel Vasquez, burning his body, and scattering his remains on the couple’s lawn.

The investigation started in June 2015 at the couple’s New Hope home.

Colom said Martinez and her mother, Lydia, told the Vasquez children that their father went on a retreat after the youngsters reported hearing a noise that they thought was a gunshot.

“I mean, to not only kill someone that you’ve known for a long time and love, but to burn his body almost completely and to lie about to the children, to his family, to the community…and had it not been for the investigation, who knows if they would have ever been caught,” said Colom.

Lydia Martinez has been indicted for accessory after the fact.

In a civil lawsuit that was filed in federal court in 2016, we learned that Vasquez’s remains were found scattered on their New Hope property in July 2015.

Those same court documents said investigators found bullet holes in the box springs of a mattress in the master bedroom, bleach stains on the mattress, and new carpeting.

Colom declined to go into any details that were not made in the plea agreement because he says the case will be represented to the grand jury, where there could be more indictments.

“Investigations are really never, ever over because when you get new information, the state is under an obligation to consider that information to see whether you can corroborate it,” said Colom.

“Once we found the other circumstances that were revealed to the state, she was honestly relieved,” said Martinez’s defense attorney Donna Smith.

Christina Martinez was originally charged with capital murder but pled to second degree murder.

“She did talk with her children and they suggested strongly that she figure out a way to get out of prison as quickly as she could, legitimately,” said Smith.

The case has taken many turns but prosecutors plan to make sure everyone involved is brought to justice.

“Once the full story comes out about what here and what eventually led to Mr. Vasquez’s murder and the attempt to cover it up, I think it’s going to be too unbelievable for a Lifetime movie,” said Colom.

Christina Martinez’s sentencing was delayed until after the investigation is complete, due to her possible cooperation with prosecutors.

Lydia Martinez remains on bond from her indictment.