The Latest: Family of slain girl thankful for prayers

The Latest: Family of slain girl thankful for prayers


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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Latest on the gruesome killing of a 10-year-old girl from Albuquerque, New Mexico (all times local):

5:45 p.m.

The family of a 10-year-old Albuquerque girl who was brutally murdered says the support and prayers of the community are helping them cope with the tragedy.

Victoria Martens' battered and dismembered body was found early Wednesday partially wrapped in a burning blanket inside the apartment she shared with her mother. The girl's mother and two others are facing charges in the slaying.

Victoria's grandparents and other close friends said in a statement Friday that children are the most beautiful, most treasured of creations and that they need to be put first by parents, communities and governments.

Minister and family spokeswoman Laura Bobbs says Victoria's family and friends are overwhelmed with grief. But they wanted to express their thanks for the efforts of the first responders, government officials who have offered resources to investigate and prosecute the case and the countless community members who have offered their prayers.

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4:15 p.m.

Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester says he hopes the brutal killing of a 10-year-old Albuquerque girl this week helps create a safer environment for New Mexico's children.

Wester said Friday the archdiocese will hold a symposium on child well-being in New Mexico on Oct. 1 in honor of Victoria Martens. The archbishop asked all Catholics to pray for the girl for an end to child abuse.

Victoria's remains were found Wednesday wrapped in a blanket set on fire in an apartment bathroom by police responding to a disturbance report.

The girl's mother, 35-year-old Michelle Martens, told police her boyfriend Fabian Gonzales injected Victoria with methamphetamine and raped her with the help of his cousin, Jessica Kelley. All are charged in the girl's death.

Wester called the killing a heinous crime and an affront to humanity and God.

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3:15 p.m.

An Albuquerque church a 10-year-old girl attended before she was brutally killed has held a special prayer service in her honor.

Family Church in Albuquerque said it held a prayer meeting Thursday evening for Victoria Martens and friends.

Victoria's remains were found Wednesday wrapped in a blanket set on fire in an apartment bathroom by police responding to a disturbance report. Her mother, the mom's boyfriend and another woman face charges in connection with her death.

The church said on its Facebook page Victoria was integral part of the church's spiritual family. The church also offered prayers for the girl's brother, Matthew, and her grandmother.

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2:45 p.m.

New Mexico's top child welfare official says there is no evidence of prior sexual abuse involving a 10-year-old Albuquerque girl who was drugged, raped, killed and dismembered this week but that investigators have opened a probe into the child's living conditions.

New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Secretary Monique Jacobson said Friday records showed no prior cases involving violence or sexual abuse against Victoria Martens.

Jacobson says she is prohibited by law from disclosing whether the agency had received neglect complaints about Victoria.

She declined to disclose further details about the investigation focusing on the household where the girl lived with her mother.

Victoria's remains were found Wednesday wrapped in a blanket set on fire in an apartment bathroom by police responding to a disturbance report.

The girl's mother, 35-year-old Michelle Martens, told police her boyfriend Fabian Gonzales injected Victoria with methamphetamine and raped her with the help of his cousin, Jessica Kelley. All are charged in the girl's death.

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12:40 p.m.

New Mexico corrections and court officials say a man arrested in the killing of a 10-year-old Albuquerque girl was supposed to be on supervised probation from an unrelated case but wasn't being monitored by probation officers.

Deputy Corrections Secretary Alex Sanchez said Friday that her agency never received a judgment and sentence order in a previous case involving 31-year-old Fabian Gonzales.

Gonzales pleaded no contest in 2015 to two misdemeanors after his arrest for beating a woman in a car with a baby inside it while the woman was driving. A judge sentenced him to two years of probation under state supervision.

Second Judicial District Court spokesman Tim Korte says court records show the judgment and probation order were forwarded to the corrections department in February 2015.

Gonzales is the boyfriend of the girl's mother. He told reporters after his arrest that he didn't have a role in Victoria Martens' death.

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11:45 a.m.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez says the killing of a 10-year-old girl who was raped and dismembered this week is the worst case of violence she's ever encountered.

Martinez was a prosecutor for 25 years before becoming governor and says she took on many gut-wrenching cases. She said Friday nothing compares to the killing of Victoria Martens.

The girl's remains were found Wednesday wrapped in a blanket set on fire in an apartment bathroom by police responding to a disturbance report.

The girl's mother, 35-year-old Michelle Martens, told police her boyfriend Fabian Gonzales injected Victoria with methamphetamine and raped her with the help of his cousin, Jessica Kelley. All are charged in the girl's death.

Martinez called the girl's killers "monsters" and said she hoped "justice will come down on them like a hammer."

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11:15 a.m.

A New Mexico woman facing charges in the killing of a 10-year-old girl who was dismembered has been released from a hospital and taken to jail.

Authorities took 31-year-old Jessica Kelley to Albuquerque's Metropolitan Detention Center Friday following her hospitalization for unspecified reasons.

The remains of Victoria Martens were found wrapped in a blanket set on fire in an apartment bathroom by police responding to a disturbance report Wednesday morning.

The girl's mother, 35-year-old Michelle Martens, told police her boyfriend Fabian Gonzales injected Victoria with methamphetamine and raped her with Kelley's assistance.

Michelle Martens and Gonzales are being held for lack of $1 million bail each.

Gonzales has denied wrongdoing. Martens didn't comment when asked by reporters. It's unclear whether Kelley has a lawyer.

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10:30 a.m.

A New Mexico official says a man arrested in the killing of a 10-year-old Albuquerque girl was supposed to be on supervised probation from an unrelated case but wasn't being monitored by probation officers.

Albuquerque's KRQE-TV (goo.gl/03ue50) reports officials are investigating how 31-year-old Fabian Gonzales slipped through the cracks.

KRQE-TV says Gonzales pleaded no contest in 2015 to two misdemeanors after his arrest for beating a woman in a car with a baby inside it while the woman was driving. A judge sentenced him to two years of probation under state supervision.

Deputy Corrections Secretary Alex Sanchez told KRQE-TV her department wasn't notified of the judge's order and learned of it Thursday, the day after the girl was killed.

Second Judicial District Court spokesman Tim Korte says a review is underway but disputes the court failed to notify the department.

Gonzales is the boyfriend of the girl's mother. He told reporters after his arrest that he didn't have a role in Victoria Martens' death.

12:25 a.m.

Residents of Albuquerque, New Mexico are struggling to understand how a 10-year-old girl became the target of gruesome violence.

The battered and partially dismembered body of Victoria Martens was found wrapped in a blanket set on fire in an apartment by police responding to a report of a disturbance Wednesday morning.

The girl's mother, her boyfriend and his cousin are in custody.

As news spread about Victoria Martens' death, neighbors and friends built a makeshift memorial under a tree near the apartment complex where she lived. They adorned it with stuffed animals and candles. Some visitors hugged while others cried and prayed.

The shrine grew as people gathered for an evening candlelight vigil on Thursday. Another shrine was erected at the elementary school where Victoria had just started the new school year.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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