On June 2006, 47-year-old Scott Martinez was found dead in his La Mesa, California, home. He had been stabbed over 30 times, and the investigation into his murder was challenging from the start. La Mesa police discovered Martinez’s body during a welfare check after his fiancée reported that she hadn’t been able to reach him.
The crime scene yielded few clues: two bloodstains that didn’t belong to Martinez and bloody toilet paper in the bathroom. It appeared the perpetrator had escaped through a window, leaving behind tissues with their blood. Despite the presence of this DNA evidence, police struggled to identify the killer, and the case went cold for nearly 13 years.
In 2019, advancements in DNA tracing technology provided a breakthrough. Using refined genetic genealogy techniques, investigators traced the blood from the crime scene to a sample on a public genealogy database. From there, they reverse-engineered a family tree and identified Zachary Bunney as a suspect. A DNA test confirmed the match, and Bunney was arrested and charged with Martinez’s murder.
Deadly Web of Lies looks into the intricate process of advanced DNA matching technology and how it was used to finally bring Martinez’s perpetrator to justice.
Cold Case Files: DNA Speaks – Deadly Web of Lies airs Friday, September 20, 2024, at 9:00 PM on A&E.
