Decades after DPS Officer Bob Martin’s death, his killer remains on death row

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Nearly three decades after Officer Bob Martin was shot and killed on an east Valley highway, his killer remains on death row.

On Aug. 15, 1995, Officer Bob Martin was attempting to make a traffic stop when he was shot and killed on Beeline Highway, a few miles north of Shea Boulevard.

“Bob was a pillar in the community in that whole area,” said AZ Troopers Association President Jeff Hawkins.

It took law enforcement two days to arrest the man responsible, Ernesto Martinez. In that span, Martinez killed a second person in California. Martin’s death hit hard for those who knew him, as well as those who didn’t personally.

“I remember the news broadcast when this happened, because we drive this highway all the time,” said Tom Krause.

Krause served on the jury that