A Walmart employee charged with murder for fatally shooting another man inside the store in October has pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him in the incident.
Joshua Ray Martinez, 18, of Roswell, appeared at an arraignment hearing Monday in New Mexico’s Fifth Judicial District Court on charges of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a handgun by a person under 19 years of age. He pleaded not guilty to each charge. in Chaves County, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Hunter Spindle.
District Judge James Hudson did not schedule a trial date.
Martinez’s attorney, Sandra Gallagher, did not return a call seeking comment on the case by press time Monday.
Martinez is currently in pretrial custody and is accused of shooting 19-year-old Steve Soltero seven times after he left work on the night of Oct. 14 during an argument at a Walmart Supercenter in Roswell. .
Soltero was taken to a local hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Following the shooting, officers evacuated the store and searched the nearby area in an effort to arrest Martinez.
Police found Martinez two days later while executing a search warrant at an apartment in the 1600 block of Southeast Main Street, according to the criminal complaint. He was found at the scene with three firearms, including a Glock 20 handgun believed to have been used in the shooting of Soltero.
At a pretrial detention hearing, Roswell Police Detective Gino Basil said surveillance video from the moments before the shooting shows Soltero and his girlfriend, Zaileen Tyberg, 22, walking toward the cash register. He testified. Martinez was behind them at the time, facing the same direction.
The video did not include audio, but Basil said it showed Soltero and Tiberi stopping and turning to look at Martinez. In the video, Soltero allegedly gestures toward Martinez, then turns around and walks away. Martinez then chased him from behind.
Basile testified that a physical altercation then ensued, leading to Tiberi reportedly attempting to hit Martinez and pushing and shoving him, the criminal complaint states.
Soltero then fled down another aisle, hid behind a pallet of merchandise and was seen on video reaching for his waistband.
“The defendant followed her down an alley while pulling a firearm from her backpack,” Basil testified.
Martinez found Soltero behind a pallet of merchandise and shot him multiple times before picking up his backpack and rushing from the scene.
During a pretrial detention hearing, Gallagher argued that his client shot Soltero in self-defense, noting that Soltero was allegedly armed at the time.
Tiberi is charged with tampering with evidence after allegedly taking Soltero’s handgun and hiding it among merchandise.