PAGOSA SPRINGS, Colo. — There was a well-documented history of domestic violence between a Pagosa Springs woman and her estranged husband who is accused of killing her in July.
Charles Martinez, 43, and Hevon Martinez, 17, have each been booked on first-degree murder charges in connection with the death of Chrystal Snow. The teen, who was already in custody on separate charges, will be charged as an adult in this case, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said.
Snow, 39, was found dead inside the bathroom of her home in the 1000 block of Archuleta County Road 700, which is west of Pagosa Springs, on July 2, after a 911 call was made from her phone around 2:20 a.m., an arrest affidavit says. It notes that the person never said anything and that dispatchers could only hear "agonal" breathing.
Archuleta County deputies responded and noticed what appeared to be a "projectile" hole in the front window. The back glass was also shattered, the affidavit says.
They entered the home to search for victims and found Snow's body on the floor of the bathroom in the master bedroom. She had been shot in her arm, chest, and leg, according to the document.
A neighbor reported hearing gunfire at Snow's home and said he then saw a vehicle leaving her home at a "high rate of speed." The neighbor reported seeing the passenger door open, which, according to the affidavit, indicated that possibly two people were involved in the shooting.
It was noted that there was a "recent" history of domestic violence between Snow and Martinez, who was identified as her "estranged" husband.
According to the affidavit, on the evening before Snow was killed, she and Martinez were messaging about custody of their young child. Those messages indicated that Snow intended to file for full custody of the child the next day.
In the weeks after Snow was killed, the CBI put out a missing endangered alert for a 5-year-old boy who was identified as her son. It noted the boy was with Charles Martinez.
Investigators spoke with "multiple" coworkers of Snow who said she had expressed concern for her safety due to Martinez's behavior. They told investigators they thought it was likely that Martinez was "directly" involved in the killing.
Snow had filed for a protection order in October 2023, where she indicated that Hevon Martinez grabbed her by the throat and said he would kill her. She said he had been assaulting her since February of that year, according to the document.
According to the affidavit, Hevon Martinez was visited by his aunt while in custody for an unrelated incident. During the visit, his aunt took possession of his phone. According to the document, investigators believed the phone could contain "critical evidence."
The document also notes that they obtained multiple security footage videos showing Hevon Martinez and Charles Martinez inside the vehicle seen by a neighbor speeding away from Snow's home after the shooting.
Blood found in several spots inside the home also came back as likely a DNA match to Hevon Martinez, the affidavit says.
