A 17-year-old boy became the youngest person on death row for his role in the drug-fuelled ‘Satanic’ murders of three victims – while urged on by his friend.
Miguel Martinez, from Laredo, Texas, was found guilty of capital murder following the killings of three men. He was urged on by his friend Miguel Venegas, who was 16 at the time and claimed himself to be the son of Satan.
The horrific murders, which took place on 17 January, 1991, were revisited in the documentary I Am Killer, which airs on Crime + Investigation.
Martinez described how they went to the home of local baptist minister James Smiley – initially with the plan of robbing him – before he realised that his friend Venegas was on a ‘mission for Satan’.
The two teenagers murdered three victims – Smiley, 33, and his two guests Ruben Martinez, 20, and Daniel Duenez, 14 – stabbing them repeatedly and smashing their skulls with an axe.
Miguel Martinez, from Laredo, Texas, has spoken about his role in the three murders that took place back in 1991
On the programme, Martinez explained how they had been drinking and taking drugs at a friend’s house that night.
He recalled Venegas had wanted to go out and rob someone, with him and Martinez deciding to visit the home of Smiley, who they knew lived alone.
However, when they got there, they realised that there were actually three people sleeping home, as Smiley had two guests over.
Speaking on the programme about that night, Martinez said: ‘When we got to the house, I had a bad feeling I guess.
Martinez, pictured as a teenager, became the youngest person on death row for his part in the three killings
He was urged on by his friend Miguel Venegas, who was 16 at the time, and claimed he was the son of Satan.
‘Venegas walks over to the house, and he came back, tells me there’s somebody in the house, which was a surprise, a shock.
‘My thoughts were to get away. I need to get out of here.’
But referring to his friend Venegas, he continued: ‘Everything had switched, there was something that had changed within him.
‘He was on a mission, and it was not to go steal anything, or trash anything, to him, he was on a mission for Satan. Satan wanted their souls.’
The teenagers had earlier taken a knife and axe from their friend’s garage, with Venegas questioning ‘Why don’t we just kill the dude?’ – to which his friend replied ‘You won’t do that’.
The teenagers killed local baptist minister James Smiley, initially planning to rob his home
The pair killed three men in total, including one of the guests that was staying at Smiley’s home
However, Venegas said he had taken that to be a ‘dare’ for what was about to follow that night.
On entering the house, Venegas began stabbing his victims and smashing in their skulls, brutally killing Smiley and his house guests.
He urged his friend Martinez to join in, telling him to stab the body in front of him with the knife.
Following the murders, Venegas managed to escape custody and flee to Mexico, leaving Martinez to be tried alone.
Speaking on the documentary, Martinez described how his friend Venegas was on a ‘mission for Satan’
Venegas initially fled custody, but was eventually recaptured. He did not face the death penalty as he was 16 at the time of the killings, but was handed a 41-year prison sentence
He was tried for capital murder using the Texas’ Law of Parties, as the prosecution argued that although Venegas had struck the fatal blows, Martinez was ‘party’ to the planning and execution of the crime.
Martinez was found guilty and sentenced to death, making him the youngest person to be sent to Texas’ death row.
However, in 2002, Martinez saw his sentence lowered to life in prison, in order to reflect his lesser role in the killings.
Venegas was eventually recaptured, but did not face the death penalty because he was 16 at the time of the murders.
He accepted a plea deal and was handed a 41-year prison sentence.
I Am A Killer continues on Crime + Investigation next Tuesday at 9pm