The Murder of Catherine Martinez
For this case, I watched an episode of Death By Fame. It’s season 1 episode 5, titled ‘The Killing Game.’
A man walks into the police station to report a crime.
Background
Catherine Martinez was born in January 1990. She was always noticed when she went out and made her presence known.
In college, Catherine studied advertising, design and print. She was also a model. She did anything from fashion shows, photo shoots and pageants. She also had a large social media following, going by the name Brasilia.
Catherine didn’t sleep a lot, and would be on the computer researching her next line of work. By night, Catherine was a dancer at a club, and would use her money to fly to her photo shoots. She still made time to attend classes too.
Catherine was described as genuine and kind. She let one of her friends, Shauntae and her son move in with her while she was going through a rough time. Catherine slept on the floor, so that her friend had a bed and provided them with anything they needed.
In 2008, Catherine met Russell Neal while she was working at the club. He would watch her dance a few nights a week until finally asking her out. They started dating 3-4 months after she started working there.
Catherine Martinez
A Famous Figure
Russell would love bomb her. He’d take her out, drive her around in his new car and buy her things. Russell told her he was a music producer. He had also been a part of the 90s quintet group, Hi-Five.
Hi-Five had just reached Platinum and was on the verge of being noticed. One of their top songs was ‘Kissing Game.’ They also had a song in the movie, Sister Act. Their dance moves and harmonies is what really made them stand out.
However, the group really went downhill due to several tragedies. Russell ended up leaving the group due to contract issues. Russell felt like he should’ve been owed more money. After he left, the group became a quartet.
Member Toriano Easley was arrested in 1990 after allegedly shooting a friend in Oklahoma. This occurred before the group became famous, and he was replaced.
In 2007, Tony Thompson passed away after inhaling freon. Freon is described as low toxicity gas or liquid often used as aerosol propellents.
In April 2022, Roger 'Pooh’ Clark passed away. He had previously been in a car accident in the early 90s that left him paralyzed.
A Troubled Family
From the very beginning, Catherine’s family, especially her sister, Glenda could see that something was wrong with Russell.
Catherine was 18 when they met, and Russell was in his 30s. He claimed he was a music producer, but he didn’t really have a job. Russell seemed to be more concerned about his image then he did about anything else.
Early on in their relationship, Catherine got into a car accident in Russell’s Lincoln. The car had flipped several times and crashed into a tree. He was more concerned about his car. Catherine was airlifted to the hospital, and Russell was really angry at her about damaging the car.
Catherine felt as if she needed to pay him back, and started to pay for everything.
After 5 months of dating, Catherine and Russell moved into together. She got pregnant with her oldest son. They went on to have 2 sons. Catherine left school to be a full time parent.
Russell’s brother, Ronald had been arrested for assaulting his wife. On the day that she left him and filed for divorce, he shot her 5 times in front of their child. He was sentenced to 80 years in prison.
Glenda told Catherine about her concerns, and told her to leave Russell. But, Catherine stayed, and wanted their sons to be raised by the both of them.
The Murder
Catherine’s family suspected that Russell was abusive. Catherine would cover up bruises with makeup.
Catherine and Russell were together for about 5 years, and separated several times. They decided to split in 2013. She focused on her career and motherhood. She continued to model, bodybuilding and fitness. She was also training to be a boxer.
Catherine had full custody of the kids, and Russell would be allowed over to see them and watch them when Catherine went to the gym. They lived in a condo on the west side of Houston.
On June 30, 2014, Catherine went to Killeen, Texas to promote something for work. This was the last time she saw her sister, Glenda.
On June 2, 2014, Russell Neal walked into the Houston police station. He said he had gotten into a fight the previous night with his wife, and she was now dead.
Several officers were sent to the condo to see if Russell was telling the truth. Catherine’s body was found. He had covered her with a sheet. She had multiple blunt force injuries to her head, and numerous stab wounds to her back and shoulder. Catherine had several defensive wounds to her forearms. The scene was very gory and bloody.
Catherine had been killed with a tire jack that had been duct taped on both sides, and a knife. Both of the weapons were found in the condo.
It seemed like Russell had planned the attack to where Catherine wouldn’t have had a chance to get away. Their children were in the house at the time of the murder.
The Motive
The evidence suggested that Catherine died in the early morning hours of July 1, 2014. Russell didn’t turn himself in until the late afternoon on July 2.
Catherine had returned home around 5am. The kids woke up to Russell yelling and what they thought was him spanking Catherine. Around 5:45am, the neighbors reported loud bangs. The kids were then shuffled out of the living room. The lights were off, and Catherine was under the blanket.
Russell took the boys to school. One of the boys had noticed what he thought was ketchup on Russell’s shoulder. Russell told them not to say anything.
Catherine was in good shape, but Russell had two murder weapons in his hands. The evidence showed that Russell couldn’t stop himself when he started.
Nothing had been cleaned up, so there was a lot of DNA testing done. Russell’s DNA came back on a lot of items in the apartment. There was never a question that someone else had killed her. He even admitted to it.
It’s believed that Russell knew he was going to be turning himself in. He cleaned himself up and wanted a clean image out there. He used a razor to shave his head, color coordinated his outfit and wore a shirt that said ‘King.’ It’s believed he had turned himself in for the fame.
In the condo, Russell had a work station. He had several quotes written by famous people and a manifesto of what he wanted to become. He wrote that he wanted to be a billionaire in the next few years and go to business school.
It’s also believed that Russell was jealous of Catherine. Catherine had moved on and started dating someone new. Catherine had received a few text messages, and maybe Russell had seen them.
The similarities between Russell and Ronald’s crimes are eerily similar.
Russell and Ronald
Other
Russell was charged with first degree murder. Before his trial, Russell was out on a $100,000 bail. He failed to appear in court in May 2015, and was arrested.
He has been found mentally unfit to stand trial. As of 2023, he is in a mental institution in Texas.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I really hope Russell is eventually sentenced to prison or stays in the mental hospital for the rest of his life. I also hope Catherine’s sons are thriving. I hope they don’t remember anything that they had seen in 2014. But, they are probably traumatized from what they heard or possibly saw. It’s heart-breaking to know that Catherine won’t be able to see them grow up. She was also finally able to get out of a toxic and abusive relationship, only to be killed in a horrible and senseless way. Don’t ever ask a victim “why didn't you leave,” because this is the shit that happens.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/catherine-brasilia-martinez-murder-where-is-russell-neal-now/
https://abc13.com/probable-cause-court-wife-murdered-killed-homicide/156787/
