A Santa Clarita Valley man pleaded no contest to holding his ex-wife and son against their will at gunpoint, which led to a brief standoff and then a shooting that involved an SCV Sheriff’s Station deputy who was the first to arrive.
Judge David W. Stuart sentenced Raul Martinez to 19 years, 4 months in state prison on the day Martinez’s trial was scheduled to begin, according to court records.
A nearby school resource deputy responded to a call of shots fired Oct. 11, 2024, near Parker Road in Castaic. A shot had already been reported when the deputy arrived.
The deputy exited the vehicle and reported that he saw Martinez raising his gun, so he fired, striking Martinez once in the head. Martinez was then taken to the hospital, and then placed in custody.
Martinez’s plea deal involved no-contest pleas to count 1, assault with a deadly weapon; willful cruelty to a child causing possible injury; and assault with a semiautomatic weapon.
There were also three special allegations: one is that he used a gun in the commission of his crime; and two others related to “strikable” offenses in Martinez’s criminal history. Martinez has a 2012 conviction for a robbery in Pomona.
A handful of other charges were dismissed as part of the deal’s terms.
The plea deal was not one that Martinez was eager to take, according to a statement from his attorney in the transcript of Martinez’s plea.
Martinez had previously rejected an offer, which had terms not given publicly.
Martinez’s attorney, Jason Najarian, said his client knew he was facing “signficant time,” according to the transcript.
“He did not come to the decision to resolve this case lightly. We went back and forth with negotiations that ultimately were not to our advantage,” Najarian said in the transcript. “Mr. Martinez is essentially balancing the charges, saying that he believed that after discussions with me, that he would be convicted of at trial, coupled with the risk at trial versus what is
being offered right now,” according to the statement.
Martinez’s wife, Marycruz Martinez, who said she was labeled as the “victim” in the case, gave a victim impact statement that served as a strong rebuke of the handling of the standoff, as well as her family’s treatment by the justice system since.
She told the judge her statements to law enforcement were made “under pressure, fear and confusion,” according to the transcripts.
She said she was treated as though she was under arrest, and she was terrified of losing her son once DCFS became involved, so she said what she thought she needed to. She said there was no record of that pressure, but that was her truth and she carried it every day with her.
She also felt her husband was never a threat — “not before the incident, not during it, and not after,” saying also that addiction and mental health were his challenges.
Raul Martinez spoke next, saying he was disappointed that he was being judged so harshly, as he saw a child molester only get 10 years.
“Meanwhile, I, someone who has not physically harmed another person, am facing 19 years largely because of my past,” he said. He said he was not in a stable state of mind at the time of the shooting.
Following Martinez’s statement, Stuart said the plea deal includes an allegation of personal use of a firearm, which means Martinez must serve 85% of his sentence before he’s eligible for parole. That could be reduced to two-thirds, with good behavior and an occupation in prison.
Stuart also said he stood by the decision not to allow a mental health diversion, due to the seriousness of the case, and the fact that Raul Martinez pointed a handgun at the deputy, which prompted the deputy to shoot.
