Family says Colo. man's death was caused by fight last fall, is murder
AULT, Colo. - The daughter of a 55-year-old man who died last week claims he was murdered, having succumbed to injuries sustained during a fight last October over a truckthat one couple said was blocking their view of a high-school football game.
Rafaela Martinez says her father, Mateo Martinez, died of injuries related to the fight after Ault police ended their investigation and misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge were filed against all three participants.
According to an Ault police report that Rafaela Martinez shared with CBS Denver, the brawl began after the Doug and Stacy Glaze complained about their view of a game being blocked by Martinez's truck. According to the report, witnesses told officers the Glazes' smashed Martinez's face into the ground and one of them got on Martinez's back and began choking him.
One month later, Martinez says her father's health worsened. While doctors cleared Martinez after performing one CT scan on him shortly after the fight, she says her father began suffering more serious ailments. After a surgery in November, Rafaela said her father suffered multiple strokes.
"He really never came back after that," Martinez said.
Martinez died at his home on Saturday. His death, she said, was the result of traumatic brain injuries that caused a hematoma and strokes, all resulting from the fight.
"It's devastating, it's been the most devastating thing that's ever happened. It's like something you expect to hear in a movie or somewhere else, not in your own town and your home to your own father."
The station reported that she notified police of her father's worsening condition in November, wanting more serious charges filed against the Glazes. Last week, she said, her father was moved home for hospice care.
"At this point, it's murder, they murdered my father," Martinez said. "They weren't there holding my sister when my father passed, they didn't hear the heart-wrenching sobs from my stepmother, they weren't there and they did that to us."
CBS Denver tried to talk with the Glazes about what happened but was turned away by a neighbor.
Ault Police Chief Rich Strang would not comment on the case, but the station reported that the police department did reopen the investigation after being notified of Martinez's worsening condition. It is up to the district attorney to decide whether further charges are warranted.
In the meantime, the Martinez family has established a fundraising page and online petition to cover funeral costs and to encourage upgrading the charges.