4. The Case Against David Martinez

05/29/23 • 51 min

In 2019, the trial of David Martinez commenced in Courtroom 105 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown LA. The prosecution sought to portray David as a dangerous gang member - a cold blooded killer who saw an opportunity to kill a cop and took his shot. In this episode we follow the deputy district attorneys’ argument through testimony reenactments and recordings of detective interviews, illustrating the impact of Shaun Diamond’s death on his fellow Pomona police officers. The episode offers evidence presented by the prosecution that calls into question David’s sobriety at the time of the shooting, as well as testimony that suggests that David heard the police announce themselves and saw them on the porch when he fired his weapon.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3. The Raid

The 2014 SWAT raid on the Martinez home, which left a Pomona police officer dead, was part of a multi-jurisdictional operation targeting members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club. So what was David Martinez’s relationship with the Mongols, and how did that relationship lead to a raid on his family home in San Gabriel? In this episode we zoom out from the night of the raid to see a bigger picture that includes the Mongols’ long history with the ATF and David’s fraught history with them. We then explore the SWAT raid itself with police militarization expert Radley Balko, plus the search warrant affidavit, police operations reports, and shocking interviews with detectives after the raid.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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5. 30 Seconds in the Dark

The last episode brought listeners the prosecutors case against David Martinez, accused of killing Pomona police officer Shaun Diamond. This time, defense attorney Brady Sullivan takes the lectern and presents a drastically different narrative: the story of a botched SWAT raid that resulted in a chaotic scene in which David shot in self-defense, thinking the officers were Mongols or other hostile intruders. In this episode we break down the most critical moments of the raid, trying to figure out what David saw and heard in the dark. We illuminate the case for David’s acquittal through testimony reënactment, recordings of detective interviews, a shocking 911 call, and an interview with Thor Eells, executive director of the National Tactical Officers Association.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.