Utah dad busted in ‘unforgivable sin’ murder of his sheriff’s deputy-daughter used soap opera ploy to flee the country

An ‘obsessed’ father who collected his daughter’s underwear fled the country by assuming the identity of his twin brother after the young Salt Lake County police officer’s body was found strangled in the home they shared.

Hector Ramon Martinez-Ayala, 54, had placed a tracking device on the car of his daughter Marbella Martinez, 25, and flooded their home with spy cameras before her body was found dead in her bed on August 1.

Investigators said his text messages were “more those of a jealous lover than a father” and he confessed to his “unforgivable sin” when he used his identical twin brother’s ID card to flee the country hours later.

“My brother, you know how much I love you. I made a big mistake, an unforgivable sin. Now I’m too scared and I don’t know what to do,” he texted.

“I don’t think I’ll ever come back.”

Marbella only joined the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office on January 11, but has quickly become a “beloved friend and an indispensable part of our team,” said Sheriff Rosie Rivera.

Three days before her body was found, Martinez-Allen had confronted her after tracking her down in nearby Bates Canyon, where she had gone with a romantic partner.

The complaint states that she stayed at a hotel after the confrontation and did not return home. However, security footage shows her arriving at the home on East 970 North at 11 a.m. on July 31.

Other cameras in the house film her walking up the stairs at 12:23 p.m. and her father driving up in his truck at 2:17 p.m.

“All video footage after his arrival at 2:17 p.m. was deleted or never existed as the cameras were turned off after his arrival,” the charging documents state.

That morning she had called her mother Barbara Jimenez to say she wasn’t feeling well and that she would tell work she was too sick to come in.

Jimenez, who had been in daily contact with her daughter, received her last text message at 2 p.m. and grew increasingly concerned as her messages went unanswered.

Hours later, she contacted her ex-husband, who initially said Marbella was at work, but then he began ignoring her messages.

“He replied that he was busy and that he would call me back later,” she said KSL.com from her home in Belize.

“Then he said he was busy feeding his cats and dogs. Later he stopped answering.”

The now desperate mother tried repeatedly to reach her daughter and finally called her ex-husband’s brother, Jesus Martinez, who lives in Salt Lake County, and promised to come over.

“I think he got to the house and it was locked, so he asked me to give him 30 more minutes,” Jimenez said.

Martinez then called back to say that police had found Marbella dead in her bed and that his brother had been due to check on her at 8 a.m.

“When Marbella’s uncle called me, he just said, ‘I’m so sorry,’ and I knew that,” Jimenez said.

“I just felt like something happened to my daughter,” Jimenez said. “And I know Hector did something to her.”

Investigators said Marbella found a collection of her underwear in her father’s room in February and text messages showed he was “becoming increasingly obsessed and controlling.”

“I think it looks absolutely amazing!!,” he wrote alongside a photo she posted on Facebook of herself relaxing on a beach less than two weeks before her death.

“Blood was found in the victim’s mouth and there were visible nail marks on the victim’s face and neck,” the complaint said.

Cell phone records suggest Martinez-Ayala, who was originally from Honduras, went to Salt Lake City International Airport after the killing and threw his daughter’s phone out the window as he drove along I-80.

“He then flew to San Francisco and then to Houston,” the investigators said.

There is no record of his cell usage after the suspect left Houston, but he used his twin brother’s identification when he landed in another country and is seen on surveillance video.

“His whereabouts are unknown, but his last known location was outside the United States.”

He was charged in absentia on Friday with murder, two counts of obstruction of justice, stalking and unlawful possession of a bank card.

According to the charges filed in 3rd District Court, he also faces two counts of unlawful use of a bank card and unlawful possession of another person’s identification.

Meanwhile, a memorial service will be held for the young delegate on Monday at Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in her native Belize.

As the search for her father continues, tributes to the young officer have poured in from friends and colleagues.

“She was such an amazing person and deputy!! I am so glad I got to work with her!” wrote Andrea Barnett. “I hope she finds peace.”

“It was an absolute honor to work with you and have you as such a good friend,” wrote another colleague.

‘Rest in peace Martinez, we miss you very much, always and forever.’

Marbella’s mother has no doubt that she died at the hands of her father.

“We know he killed her,” she said.

“I just want justice for my daughter. She was beautiful and kind and had the rest of her life ahead of her.”