The teenage best friend of Texas church shooter Devin Kelley has revealed how his former pal had a trigger-happy temper but had always been ‘all talk, no action’.
Ralph Martinez tells Dailymail.com that he was Kelley’s best friend from ages 12-19 years old.
‘He was like a brother to me at the time,’ Martinez says in an exclusive interview.
‘When I heard the news of what Devin did I was mortified. I never thought he could be capable of such an evil. I’m hoping this is all a bad dream.
‘I’m shocked by his actions, growing up he had a hair-trigger temper, I saw him get into plenty of verbally aggressive arguments, but I never saw him get physical with anyone. He was all talk, no action. I never imagined this could happened.’
Kelley, 26, has been accused of killing 26 people and injuring at least 20 others during a Sunday morning church service at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Ralph Martinez tells Dailymail.com that he was Kelley’s best friend from ages 12-19 years old
Devin Patrick Kelley (pictured left, and in a mugshot from a previous crime) walked into the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, dressed in full combat gear, and began shooting Sunday
Kelley was found dead in his car after fleeing the scene and being chased by eye-witnesses. Investigators believe he died of a self-inflicted gunshot.
Martinez, 27, a car detailer says he met Kelley at a skate board park in New Braunfels, TX when he was 12-years old and Kelley was 11.
‘We immediately hit it off as best-friends’, says Martinez.
‘We both were into skate boarding and video games, mainly skate boarding video games and Halo.
‘Devin had authority issues growing up says Martinez. Nothing really over the top, he just didn’t like to be told what to do, especially by his parents, he would constantly get into arguments with them.
‘When they asked him to do a simple task like cleaning up his room, he would immediately do it, he would ask them why? But he eventually did what they asked him to do.’
Both attended the same church in New Braunfels, Texas, the Tree of Life Church.
Martinez said he had a lot in common, both of them were super-hyper active. Martinez says he took prescription medicine for his ADHD until he was 19-years old and Devin took prescription pills for the same thing for as long as he can remember.
‘I spent many nights at his house for sleep-overs where we played skate boarding video games all night long and had too many to count family dinners at his house with his parents and sisters.
‘Over the years his father added onto to their house and it ended up being really nice, with a pool and Jacuzzi, even having statutes of lions and tigers out by the pool.
‘His parents were the greatest from what I remember, before every meal we had to pray,’ continued Martinez
Kelley was into skateboarding and Tae Kwan Do, he wasn’t quite a black belt but was close to it said Martinez.
‘In high school he wasn’t associated with the ‘cool crowd’ he mostly stayed to himself. Devin dressed like a skateboarder with his long-hair,’ according to Martinez.
He didn’t date a lot during high school, and Martinez doesn’t remember him having a serious girlfriend.
Since Martinez was a year older than Kelley he left high school a year earlier and moved to Wyoming to attend an automobile trade school for about a year.
By the time Martinez had returned to New Braunfels, Kelley had married Tessa Loge and joined the military.
Tessa had a young child from another relationship at the time she married Devin.
‘I really liked Tessa, she got along well with my girlfriend at the time and Devin seemed to be happy.
‘He occasionally complained about Tessa not picking up after him and not cleaning the house, that was the only negative thing I heard about their relationship,’ says Martinez.
For Kelley’s 21st birthday Martinez flew out to New Mexico with his girlfriend, where they spent a long weekend with Devin and Tessa where they were living at the time.
‘While we were in New Mexico at one point my girlfriend saw some prescription pill bottles in their kitchen and asked Tessa what they were for,’ said Martinez.
‘Tessa said that they were Devin’s prescription pills that he needs to take them for his aggression. Tessa didn’t say anything more about it.
‘A short time after we had returned back to New Braunfels, some military officials knocked on my door and asked me if I ever saw Devin beat up Tessa, or notice any scrapes or bruises. They also asked if I ever noticed any aggression. I told them No! To all of their questions. I had no idea what they were talking about.
‘I was shocked by what I heard, then I started hearing from people on Facebook about how Devin beat up Tessa and her young child.
A year later Kelley knocked on his door and said ‘I need help,’ it was at that time Kelley told Martinez about his dishonorable discharge.
‘He said he needed a place to stay and he was just moving back to New Braunfels.’
He stayed in the garage at Martinez’ house for about a week, before he could talk Devin into moving back in with his parents.
‘He told me that he had been locked-up after being accused of domestic abuse, of course he denied hurting Tessa or her young child.
‘His story he told didn’t make sense, he later told me Tessa lied about what happened.’
It was at this time Martinez decided to end his friendship with him.
‘I didn’t want anything to do with him, I unfriended him on Facebook and basically forgot about him until the other day.
‘All of the innocent people he killed it’s just a tragic situation, I’m sickened by it. I’m really pi***d off at him.’