Teen Pleads Guilty In Fatal Gay Beating
Cortez Victim Was Openly Gay, Sometimes Dressed As Girl
POSTED: 8:13 a.m. MST February 8, 2002
UPDATED: 9:58 a.m. MST February 8, 2002
CORTEZ, Colo. -- A New Mexico teenager pleaded guilty to
second-degree murder in the beating death of a 16-year-old Cortez
boy.
Shaun Murphy of Farmington, N.M., entered the plea Thursday in
Montezuma County District Court. Charges of first-degree murder and
attempted escape were dropped.
Murphy, 18, is accused of brutally beating Fred Martinez Jr. (pictured, left), whose body was found in a canyon June 21 just south of Cortez.
Gay-rights advocates have raised the question of whether Martinez was killed because of his sexual orientation. Martinez was an openly gay Navajo teen who sometimes dressed as a girl and was considered transgendered.
But authorities have declined to call his death a hate crime.
During a preliminary hearing in September, Murphy's lawyer, Pamela Brown, said Murphy was fighting in self-defense the night of June 16 when he struck Martinez in the head with a rock.
But according to the Cortez Journal, one witness claimed that Murphy had bragged that he had "beat up a fag."
Murphy was arrested after a tip to Crimestoppers. He will be sentenced May 16 and faces between four and 48 years in prison.
Martinez's mother said at the hearing that she believes Murphy deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison.
"My home is so quiet without Fred," she said. "I have nobody to laugh with. I just miss him so much."
Additional Resources:
Shaun Murphy of Farmington, N.M., entered the plea Thursday in
Montezuma County District Court. Charges of first-degree murder and
attempted escape were dropped.
Murphy, 18, is accused of brutally beating Fred Martinez Jr. (pictured, left), whose body was found in a canyon June 21 just south of Cortez.
Gay-rights advocates have raised the question of whether Martinez was killed because of his sexual orientation. Martinez was an openly gay Navajo teen who sometimes dressed as a girl and was considered transgendered.
But authorities have declined to call his death a hate crime.
During a preliminary hearing in September, Murphy's lawyer, Pamela Brown, said Murphy was fighting in self-defense the night of June 16 when he struck Martinez in the head with a rock.
But according to the Cortez Journal, one witness claimed that Murphy had bragged that he had "beat up a fag."
Murphy was arrested after a tip to Crimestoppers. He will be sentenced May 16 and faces between four and 48 years in prison.
Martinez's mother said at the hearing that she believes Murphy deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison.
"My home is so quiet without Fred," she said. "I have nobody to laugh with. I just miss him so much."
Additional Resources:
Previous Stories:
- August 14, 2001: Gay Teen Murder Charges Upgraded
- July 26, 2001: Gay Teen Autopsy Non Conclusive
- July 11, 2001: Cortez Murder Suspect Lived With Murderer
- July 6, 2001: Arrest Made In Gay Teen Murder
Copyright 2002 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
