A 28-year-old man was arraigned Monday, March 16 in San Joaquin County Superior Court and charged in connection with the 2019 disappearance of a pregnant teen from Amador County.
Joshua Martinez, who was arrested on March 12 by U.S. Marshals in Livermore, was indicted in February by a San Joaquin County grand jury for the murder of 16-year-old Victoria Marquina.
He was previously arrested on suspicion of the murder but was released due to lack of evidence.
At Monday’s hearing, Martinez was arraigned on charges of murder, unlawful intercourse with a minor three years younger, oral copulation with a person under 18, and sexual penetration by a foreign object with a person under 18.
Martinez could face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted, San Joaquin District Attorney Ron Freitas said.
The case has been transferred from Amador County to San Joaquin because it is the area where Marquina’s vehicle was located.
Marquina was last seen alive nearly six years ago on Oct. 9, 2019, near her job in Amador County, according to Freitas.
On Oct. 10, 2019, Marquina’s mother reported her daughter missing in Sutter Creek. Two days later, the teenager’s car was found abandoned near Escalon in San Joaquin County.
However, Marquina has not been seen or heard from since the last time her mother saw her. Her body has not been recovered.
Freitas said Marquina and Martinez had a very short relationship and the two had met a month before her disappearance.
During Monday’s arraignment, Marquina’s mother, who has remained an advocate for her daughter, sat in the back of the Stockton courtroom.
In front of her was Martinez, who wore an orange jumpsuit and kept a straight face throughout the hearing.
Two attorneys, Allen Sawyer and Kirk Holmen, represented Martinez.
While Deputy District Attorney Elton Grau talked to the judge in the case, Amador County District Attorney Todd Riebe stood next to him.
Bail was denied for Martinez, and he will continue to be housed at the San Joaquin County Jail.
He is set to return to court April 6 for bail review and further arraignment.
Following the hearing, Freitas held a news conference with several San Joaquin County leaders as well as Amador County officials.
“We want to bring closure to Victoria’s mother and allow her to bury her child and her grandchild,” Freitas said.
Riebe said Monday marked the beginning of Marquina’s journey for justice.
“This day would not be possible without her mother’s unyielding love,” Riebe said.
Freitas asked the community to come forward with any information regarding the death of Marquina or where her remains could be found.
At-risk runaway
Authorities had initially considered Marquina an at-risk runaway. In 2019, Amador County authorities sought the public’s help to locate her, as she was believed to have runaway. Her family said they had not seen her since Oct. 6, 2019.
Marquina’s mother told a sheriff’s deputy that her daughter did not return home on Oct. 5 after attending a concert in Sacramento.
Marquia’s mother said she was unable to contact her daughter by phone the following day but later found Marquina’s vehicle parked near Main Street in Sutter Creek.
Her mother waited near the vehicle and eventually confronted her daughter about not coming home.
The mother and daughter argued, with the daughter eventually leaving and telling her mother she was moving out.
Marquina’s mother said she had called and sent her daughter several messages since Oct. 6 but her daughter did not respond.
The mother also told authorities Marquina had recently met a Modesto man who deputies later identified as Martinez, who was 21 at the time.
Martinez, who had an address from Livingston, said he saw Marquina and dropped her off in Sutter Creek on the morning of Oct. 6.
He said it was the last time he had seen Marquina.
On Oct. 13, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office located Marquina’s black Honda Accord abandoned in Escalon.
San Joaquin County deputies contacted an eyewitness who provided a description of a car and a young Latino couple matching the description of both Marquina and Martinez, including Martinez’s vehicle.
Record reporter Victoria Franco covers public safety in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at vfranco@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Man charged in 2019 case of missing pregnant teen Victoria Marquina
Reporting by Victoria Franco, The Stockton Record / The Record
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