A Colorado jury has convicted a man of first-degree murder after he was found carrying a severed hand in his jacket and attempted to claim that his victim had taken her own life.
Guilty man caught with severed hand
Solomon Martinez, 27, was found guilty on March 13 following a trial for the January 2024 killing of 47-year-old Renee Portillos.
The prosecution built its case using DNA evidence, findings from the victim’s autopsy, and incriminating data from Martinez’s phone.
Despite his defense team arguing that Portillos had died by suicide, the jury ultimately rejected that claim.
Martinez was taken into custody by the Pueblo Police Department on January 10 while he was employed as a private security guard at the Sangre De Cristo Arts Center.
Court documents obtained by ABC affiliate KRDO revealed that officers overheard Martinez speaking before they approached him. He was reportedly heard saying, “I had a hand in my jacket for two days.”
Upon searching his belongings, authorities discovered a severed hand inside a plastic bag in his jacket pocket, along with traces of blood in his vehicle. Officers also observed visible cuts on Martinez’s hands.
Man carrying severed hand decapitated victim
Investigators were later provided with a disturbing video by a witness, which reportedly showed Portillos’ body in a decapitated state.
According to police reports, Martinez initially told investigators that he had picked up Portillos on the night of January 8 for a sexual encounter. He claimed that she had demanded payment, which he refused, before dropping her off a few hours later.
However, statements from a former roommate cast further suspicion on Martinez. A probable cause affidavit obtained by The Pueblo Chieftain detailed an encounter between Martinez and his then-roommate in the early morning hours of January 9.
The roommate stated that he had seen Martinez at a car wash around 5 a.m., covered in blood. Martinez allegedly requested tools and assistance in digging a 10-foot-deep hole, offering to forgive a $1,000 debt in exchange for his help.
The roommate refused and later spoke to KRDO, saying, “I was terrified. I was beyond terrified. Like, I can’t even put into words how physically scared I was.” A friend of the roommate ultimately contacted the police.
Authorities discovered Portillos’ remains later that day in Fountain Creek.
Martinez was convicted of first-degree murder after deliberation, along with charges of tampering with a deceased body and abuse of a corpse.
Man sleeps next to dead girlfriend’s corpse
A Turkish national living in Wisconsin is facing charges after allegedly killing his girlfriend and living alongside her deceased body for nearly a month before finally reporting her death to authorities.
Serkan Akcilad, 24, was arrested in February and charged with first-degree reckless homicide, with an additional modifier for the use of a deadly weapon, in connection with the death of Silan Tut, according to court records obtained by Law & Crime.
On February 27, Akcilad walked into the Milwaukee Police Administration Building and used a translation app to inform the officer at the front desk that his girlfriend was dead inside their shared apartment on North 10th Street.
Authorities later obtained a probable cause affidavit, which detailed Akcilad’s account of the events.
He allegedly told investigators that approximately 20 days prior, he left their home to run an errand and returned to find Tut lying on the floor, covered in blood.
“Akcilad stated he had been gone about an hour and when he returned she was ‘lying on the floor covered in blood,’” the affidavit states.
“Initially, he thought [his girlfriend] was ‘joking’ and he tried to lift her up. Akcilad said [his girlfriend] was ‘cold as ice’ and he ‘fainted from shock.’”
Despite claiming he discovered the body weeks earlier, Akcilad allegedly said he didn’t report the death because he was unfamiliar with U.S. laws. Instead, he admitted to sleeping next to her remains on the floor.
Police dispatched to the scene found Tut’s body lying on her back with a pillow propped behind her head.
An autopsy later determined she had sustained multiple stab wounds to the torso and neck, with decomposition suggesting she had been deceased for about a month.
Police believe scene was staged
Authorities noted that the crime scene “appeared to have been staged.” A search of the apartment revealed no knives aside from dull butter knives and boxcutters.
Investigators used a Blue Star blood detection tool, which suggested Tut had been attacked elsewhere before being moved.
Officers found receipts in the trash dating from February 14 to February 21, indicating Akcilad had remained in the apartment for an extended period after Tut’s death.
Blood spatter was discovered on multiple items, and an eviction notice indicated he owed over $1,200 in rent.
A neighbor reported hearing a heated argument on January 24, during which shouting lasted between five and ten minutes.
That same evening, surveillance footage allegedly captured Akcilad purchasing bleach from a nearby grocery store.
The following day, Akcilad reportedly bought a nail gun and attempted to take his own life by shooting himself in the head. He survived and was hospitalized, where doctors removed a nail lodged in his brain.
After regaining consciousness, Akcilad maintained that he had returned home on January 24 to find Tut already dead.
He claimed to have passed out in shock and later moved her body the day before contacting authorities.
Investigators say he also admitted to using Tut’s phone to send messages to her family, attempting to convince them she was still alive.
Akcilad, who faces up to 65 years in prison, remains in custody on a $1 million bond, is scheduled to appear in court on March 19 for a preliminary hearing.
