Maria Dejesus Martinez’s fear of her husband, intensified by 15 years of abuse, grew to the point that she obtained a temporary restraining order against him last month, according to court records.
The husband, Isaac Raymond Martinez, is accused of fatally shooting Maria Dejesus Martinez the evening of Aug. 5, when an argument between the estranged spouses from Santa Maria escalated outside a business near the intersection of West McElhaney Avenue and Broadway in Santa Maria.
Martinez, a mother of five, outlined years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her husband in court filings, and family and friends relayed similar information.
“He just secluded her from everybody,” said Martinez’s longtime friend, Delani Maples. “He was very controlling, very abusive from the beginning. He had a hold on her.”
In the last month of her life, Martinez had become especially afraid for her safety as her husband — whom she recently left — stalked her and harassed her, according to court papers filed by the victim.
“I have tried to keep my distance, but he shows up at grocery stores, my parents’ house, etc.,” she wrote. “I am afraid for my safety because he reacts aggressively when things don’t go his way. I am afraid for my safety when he realizes I will not be going back to him.”
Martinez, 35, suffered bullet wounds to her head, chest and torso, and was transported to Marian Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Isaac Martinez, 32, fled the scene but was arrested Saturday near Yuma, Ariz., when his vehicle was spotted matching a description provided by Santa Maria police.
He is being held without bail in Arizona awaiting extradition to California.
“It takes time,” said Santa Maria police Lt. Jerel Haley. “He’s not going to go anywhere overnight.”
Haley said Santa Maria police will work with the District Attorney’s Office to determine what charges are appropriate in the case. Prosecutors ultimately will decide what charges to file, he added.
“We trust their judgment,” he said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the District Attorney’s Office had not yet filed charges in the matter.
Meanwhile, police are continuing their investigation into the killing, conducting interviews and examining the history between the Martinezes.
A search of criminal court records in Santa Barbara County revealed Isaac Martinez has a history of criminal convictions and prison stints, including a false-imprisonment case in 2006 and a felony driving under the influence case in 2004.
In the late 1990s, Martinez was charged in various cases with fighting in public, robbery, burglary and resisting an officer.
In April 2010, Martinez was arrested in San Luis Obispo County on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department.
He is a documented Santa Maria gang member, Haley said.
On July 7, Maria Dejesus Martinez filled out an application for a temporary restraining order to keep her husband away from her and her five children.
Isaac Martinez is the father of the four youngest children, ranging in age from 4 to 14.
The restraining order was granted, but expired on July 15 and was apparently not renewed.
In the paperwork filed seeking the restraining order, Martinez said she was separated from her husband after leaving him on May 27, and was planning to divorce him.
Recently, he had been following her and intimidating her, Martinez said.
“He is physically, emotionally and psychologically abusive all of our 15-year relationship,” she wrote. “He would slap me, kick me, punch me and choke me unconscious. He has even pulled a rifle out on me in the few years we were together.”
Martinez described several incidences of abuse by Isaac, including the time he back-handed her to her face at her work in 2002 while she was pregnant, and the altercation in 2006 when he hit her, cracking her nose and making it bleed.
After hurting her nose, Isaac forced Martinez to perform sex acts under threat of more physical abuse, she claimed.
Martinez’s friend Maples said the two women grew close while attending Santa Maria High School together.
“We just hung out all the time, doing the high school thing,” Maples said. “She was just a very easy-going person. She was easy to get along with. She had a great smile. You could talk to her about anything. She didn’t judge you.”
Maples said she and Martinez started to speak less when Martinez began dating Isaac Martinez soon after high school. He was controlling over her to the point that she was afraid to make eye contact with friends if she ran into them in Isaac’s presence, Maples said.
Martinez admitted her husband was abusive to her, “but she never let it bring her down,” Maples said. “She didn’t want anybody to know it. Didn’t want people to feel sorry for her.”
Maples said she saw Martinez at a birthday barbecue last month, and Martinez was excited to reunite with her old high school friends.
April Alcazar, who had been close friends with Martinez for about a decade, said her friend had a tough exterior and was protective of those she loved, but was secretly the victim of domestic violence.
When Martinez left her husband a few months ago, she intended to stay away, Alcazar said.
“She was done. She just became numb to him.”
The week leading up to her death, Martinez was becoming overwhelmed by the situation with Isaac, according to Alcazar. Martinez complained to police, but nothing was done, Alcazar said.
Early Thursday morning, she called Alcazar and told her she had a dream Isaac shot and killed her.
Later on Thursday, Martinez sent Alcazar a text message saying, “It’s going to get ugly tomorrow.”
Alcazar explained, “She just had a gut feeling tomorrow was it.”
Alcazar planned to wait in her car at Martinez’s house when Martinez arrived home from work Friday evening and call police if Isaac showed up, but Martinez made a trip to a store first. It was near the store that Martinez was fatally wounded, Alcazar said.
Now, Alcazar is helping plan the funeral for her friend as she grieves the loss.
“She was a very, very dedicated and loyal person,” Alcazar said. “I admired her. She was just all heart.”
Martinez’s family has declined to speak directly to the media about the woman they lovingly called “Boo Boo,” but issued a statement about the seven-year Comcast employee and avid Raiders fan.
“Maria, a lifelong resident of Santa Maria, died August 5, 2011, as a result of domestic violence. Not wanting to put her children and herself through anymore heartache, she separated herself from the violence that was being forced upon her.
“She was a caring and loyal wife and mother who deserved to be treated with respect and dignity, but instead was tragically murdered. Please do not ignore the signs of domestic violence because it does touch everyone’s family.”
Numbers to call for help with domestic violence:
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1 (800) 799- SAFE (7233)
Lompoc Shelter
24-Hour Crisis Line
736-0965
Santa Maria Shelter
24-Hour Crisis Line
925-2160
Santa Ynez Valley
24-Hour Crisis Line
686-4390
How to help the children of Maria Dejesus Martinez:
Make a monetary contribution at any CoastHills Federal Credit Union branch to the Maria D. Estrada Memorial Fund. Estrada is Martinez's maiden name.
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