Francisco “Frankie” Martinez, 41,of Dimmitt, pleaded guilty to charges of the murder of Rachel Salinas this past Thursday in the 64th Judicial District Court of Castro County.
Martinez was sentenced to 40 years in prison; Salinas’ family was present at the plea and sentencing.
Castro County District Attorney Shalyn Hamlin stated, “This was a senseless murder, and the defendant took a mother of three, a daughter, a sister, a niece, and a grandmother from her family. The path to justice has been long and challenging for this family, but I’m thankful that we were able to end this case with justice for Raquel.
“I pray the family can now focus on what is important and celebrate Raquel’s life. I’m grateful to everyone that worked on this case, including the Texas Rangers, DPS, Dimmitt Police Department, and Kristina Holcomb, DA investigator.”
Martinez was indicted by the grand jury in Dimmitt for the August 2019 murder of 42-year-old Salinas. Martinez was arrested following a police chase on Sept. 29, 2019.
The vehicle pursuit which began in Littlefield by the Littlefield Police Department and was terminated east of Shallowater with the assistance of the Department of Public Safety, the Texas Game Warden’s Office and the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office. He was taken to the Lamb County Jail and later transferred to Castro County on a blue warrant because of the homicide investigation where he was charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence in Dimmitt in connection to the death of Salinas.
Salinas’ body was found inside an abandoned vehicle after the Dimmitt Police Department was called to the 300 block of Northwest 4th Street in reference to an abandoned vehicle on private property on Aug. 27, 2019.
The Texas Rangers were called in to assist with the investigation and the body was sent to Lubbock for an autopsy.
Martinez was also indicted in 2019 by a Lamb County grand jury for kidnapping and evading arrest by motor vehicle, according to Littlefield PD at the time.