United States of America v. Santiago Martinez

Denver, Colorado, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with manslaughter.

Santiago Martinez, age 33, killed Suazo during an argument outside their shared home on the Taos Pueblo. The couple had been listening to music when DeAnna again expressed her long-stated desire to end their romantic relationship, which she had often done before.

The argument escalated into a physical altercation during which Martinez ripped DeAnna’s gauge earring from her ear and pushed DeAnna out of her car. Rather than disengage, Martinez entered the driver’s seat of DeAnna’s SUV, put her car in gear, and intentionally ran DeAnna over. Martinez then called his family, rather than alerting police, which diminished any chance that DeAnna could have survived. DeAnna died from mechanical asphyxia and blunt trauma caused by being run over.

Martinez later acknowledged that although he had consumed alcohol, he knew what he was doing and knew it was wrong.

DeAnna Autumn Leaf Suazo was a Diné and Taos Pueblo artist whose work celebrated Indigenous identity, strength, and resilience. Her paintings were exhibited nationwide, including at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts. In 2022, the Institute of American Indian Arts established the DeAnna Autumn Leaf Suazo Memorial Fund to support Indigenous women artists, honoring her life, talent, and lasting impact.

The Defendant was found guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.