Fayetteville Cop Shooter Wants New Trial

Martinez
Martinez

— Sergio Hidalgo Andrade Martinez, who was found guilty of eight counts of attempted capital murder, including wounding a police officer, is asking for a new trial and his conviction be set aside.

Martinez was sentenced in December 2012 to 147 years in prison.

In a motion for post-trial relief, Martinez claims his lawyer was ineffective.

Martinez claims his lawyer only visited him three times before trial, he did not understand legal documents given to him because of a language barrier, wasn’t given some documents, witnesses were not secured and wasn’t told he could testify in his own defense.

“Had I known I could have testified I would have testified and pointed out discrepancies in the prosecution’s case and lies the state witnesses told against me,” Martinez wrote in his motion. He does not have a lawyer.

Should Martinez be released, federal authorities will deport him to Mexico.

Martinez shot Fayetteville police officer Blake Williamson in the ankle and shot at seven other officers during a standoff at an apartment complex in March 2012.

Martinez also was found guilty of two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of being a felon in possession of a gun, possession of cocaine and possession of drugs and a gun. Martinez faced 24 charges, plus sentencing enhancements for the use of a firearm during the commission of those crimes.

The jury recommended sentences that served consecutively would be more than 271 years in prison.

Washington County Circuit Judge William Storey accepted the jury’s sentencing recommendations and opted to run seven of the 14 sentences consecutively and the remainder concurrently.

Storey stacked the sentences involving Williamson and officers Marcus Peace and Garret Levine, who came directly under fire, with those involving the other five officers who were on the scene. Storey also ran a sentence for shooting into an occupied apartment, being a felon with a firearm and possession of drugs and guns consecutively.

Martinez spoke before he was sentenced and asked for forgiveness and leniency.

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