A Colorado father and his 17-year-old son have been charged with the murder of the boy’s mother this summer at her home in Pagosa Springs.
Charles Martinez, 43, and 17-year-old Hevon Martinez have been charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of Chrystal Snow, 38, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Snow was found dead from gunshot wounds on July 2 after a 911 call from her phone brought Archuleta County deputies to the house. While investigators said they believed the shooting was “targeted,” they did not name any suspects.
Two weeks after Snow’s death, her younger son, 5-year-old Helliono Martinez, disappeared after the state of Colorado had been granted emergency custody of the boy. Helliono was last seen with his father, and he was found safe nine days later, KKTV said.
The Denver Post reported that Snow and Martinez ended their 18-year relationship in October 2023 and that Snow obtained a protection order against both the father and the teen son in the wake of the break-up.
According to an arrest affidavit, Martinez and his son killed Snow just hours after she told them she was filing for full custody of the younger boy, Law&Crime reported. The two allegedly pleaded with her not to go through with the filing and then drove to her home in the middle of the night and killed her.
“Charles and [Hevon Martinez] were both aware that Chrystal Snow was preparing to file paperwork at court the following day, related to her petition for full custody of [Hevon Martinez’s brother],” the affidavit says.
According to the document, multiple witnesses shared with investigators “the details of the conversations” the Martinezes had with Snow. The witnesses also said that Charles Martinez made verbal threats to kill Snow in the past, the affidavit says.
Neighbors reported hearing gunshots at about 2:30 a.m. that night.
Hevon Martinez has been charged as an adult in the case.
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[Featured image: Chrystal Snow/GoFundMe. Inset: Charles Martinez/Colorado Bureau of Investigation]
