VINNICIO RAFAEL MARTINEZ

Aliases:

Vinicio Rafael Martinez, Vinnicio Rafeal Martinez

DESCRIPTION

CAUTION

Vinnicio Rafael Martinez and his accomplice Socorro Anselmo Gutierrez are being sought for murder in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Both men are active members of a violent street gang known as the Varrio Raza Grande (VRG), and on May 23, 1997, members of a rival gang (known as the Juaritos) reportedly fired several gunshots at the VRG. No one was injured during this incident, but reportedly some members of the VRG decided to retaliate for the shooting by killing a specific member of the Juaritos. On May 24, 1997, members of the VRG allegedly opened fire on a car, that was owned by the targeted member of the Juaritos. The intended victim was not in the car during the shooting and had loaned his vehicle to some juvenile acquaintances. When the VRG members allegedly fired at the car, one of the rounds penetrated the trunk of the car and struck the rear-seat passenger in the head. The 13-year-old child later died as a result of the shooting.

In June of 1999, a VRG member who drove the suspect's vehicle during the above incident was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment plus 240 years for his participation in the shooting. Additionally, Martinez and Gutierrez were also identified as subjects in this crime, and both allegedly fired shots during the incident.

On May 16, 2000, an arrest warrant was issued for Vinnicio Rafael Martinez in the District Court of El Paso County, state of Colorado, for first degree murder. Additionally, on May 3, 2001, a federal arrest warrant was issued by the United States District Court, District of Colorado, after Martinez was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS CASE, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL FBI OFFICE OR THE NEAREST AMERICAN EMBASSY OR CONSULATE.