Three Arrested for Murder in Case of Missing Cloverdale Man
This is a press release from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. The information has not been proven in a court of law and any individuals described should be presumed innocent until proven guilty:
Detectives from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office arrested three men in the murder of a missing Cloverdale man. The case began on July 2nd when a woman reported to the Cloverdale Police Department that her father Jose Martinez, had been missing since June 29th. She thought he may have gone on a fishing trip but got concerned when he hadn’t returned and his truck, a white Toyota Tacoma was also missing.
Officers from the Cloverdale Police Department issued a “be on the lookout” for Martinez and his truck to other law enforcement agencies. They also interviewed a number of family members and friends that indicated Martinez may have been involved in significant marijuana dealings, had been receiving threats lately and that this was likely more than just a routine missing person case. Detectives from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office were consulted and worked closely with Cloverdale PD in an attempt to locate Martinez.
At about 6:00 AM on July 17th, a Sonoma County Sheriff’s Deputy found a truck matching the description of Martinez’s on Masterson Ct and Holiday St in Santa Rosa. The truck had the license plates removed and they had been swapped out with paper dealer license plates.
When the deputy ran the vehicle’s identification number, he found that this was the truck registered to Martinez. Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office were called and started their investigation into the truck and how it ended up there.
Through investigative efforts and witness interviews detectives identified three suspects:
Socorro Sierra, 34 of Healdsburg;
Felix Fernando Carreon, 43 of Santa Rosa and
Climmie Smith-Hill, 30 of Santa Rosa. Detectives learned that Martinez and Socorro had significant marijuana dealings and the Sierra had recently threatened Martinez over a disputed business transaction.
Through a number of interviews Sheriff’s Detectives learned that Martinez went to Ray’s Food Place on Cloverdale Blvd in Cloverdale at about 8:00 AM on June 29th. Detectives believe Martinez was kidnapped from the front of the store by the three men in a dark sedan. Martinez was driven to the top of Geysers Road near the Cal Pine geothermal plant. Sierra walked Martinez to a remote location by a creek where he shot him to death with a handgun. Sierra walked back to the car where he met with Carreon and Smith-Hill. He drove them back to Santa Rosa and dropped them off.
On Saturday, June 30th Sierra returned to the creek where he had left Martinez’s body. Sierra wrapped the body in a tarp and brought it back to his car. He then transported Martinez’s body to Healdsburg at a marijuana garden in the 2100 block of West Dry Creek Road. Sierra, with the help of Carreon, rented a back hoe and brought it to the property where they dug an approximate 5-6 foot deep hole. They placed Martinez’s body in the hole and covered him with dirt.
Detectives learned about the location of the buried body in the marijuana garden. Yesterday, July 18th, detectives went to the property and, using a back hoe and shovels, unearthed Martinez’s body that was located under about five feet of dirt. Martinez’s body was transported to the Sonoma County Coroner’s Office pending an autopsy.
Carreon had been arrested on July 10th at about 12:15 AM in the area of Marlow and Jennings Ave in Santa Rosa on unrelated drug charges.
Sierra was arrested in the parking lot of the Guerneville Rd. Safeway Shopping Center on July 17th at 3:45 PM. A handgun, believed to be used in the homicide, was located inside Socorro’s vehicle at that time.
Smith-Hill was arrested at the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office on July 18th at 1:00 AM after an interview. All three men were booked on charges of murder, kidnapping and conspiracy and are being held without bail.
In this press release, pictured first is Sierra and Carreon is last.
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Hang’em High
Fake news, everyone knows that pot is a peaceful drug , just grow it then sell it to the friendly neighborhood drug pusher from down south ( or back east) and then it does no one any harm .
It can be peaceful, if the black market was eliminated. If they were legal, they could have gone to court to settle their dispute.
This is south of the border mafia rearing it’s ugly head…the black market mafia grows will eventually be weeded out from legal grows…looks like that killers about to cry.Good.
Nothing but three worthless pieces of scum. Hope they get some good hard jail time!
They gave the guy a decent burial.
Sounds like Smith- Hill sang like a canary and hung them all. Perhaps he’ll get lighter charges for testifying
Climmie looks like he understands his life has changed. And not for the good.
Sierra’s face and neck are a nice clean slate for all the tatts he will be getting at Pelican Bay.
Good job detectives! I bet those scumbags thought the matter was good and finished when six feet under. Imagine their dismay when the cops figured it out and rounded them up.
And they found the truck only about two weeks after getting the Missing complaint; and got the grave dug up only a day after finding the truck.
Pretty horrible for Mr. Martinez. I’m sorry for his family.
They needed to burn that truck.
The article implies Martinez wasn’t dealing fairly with his criminal friends. He knew the risk when he began his criminal endeavors so no sympathy from me.
“To live outside the law, you must be honest “. Bob Dylan said that.
And that’s hard to find these days, but the first requirement for being and outlaw not a problem if your a criminal.
A story of the same type of thinking that always seems to be behind so much violence. Honesty has nothing to do with it. First what is important is wants and everything is judged with that filter. First a reward decision is made that the most benefit for themselves can be made growing pot. Since everyone they know does it with little danger, the risk to self from authorities is minimal. That ends the thinking they do it. No regard is wasted on anyone outside of themselves.
What they miss in the calculation is that their associates have the same standards. So if they offend their associates, those associates are likely to assess what is the most benefit to themselves and act on it without thinking further. They remove the negatives to themselves in the most immediate way without dwelling on the future. They kill the irritation. Of course, having acted already, these former associates then are at liberty to let their irritation go and start worrying that the risk they took and start trying to fix the problems they did not see before they acted.
It all comes from the same thought process- first satisfy own immediate wants and worry about the consequences later. Put a group together with that limited horizon and the soap opera is continuous.
Imagine Smith Hill’s dismay when he reads this press release. I imagine a thought that goes something like “Man those cops said they were on my side, that they would protect me , that I had nothing to worry about, and the right thing to do is to tell them everything because they already know everything anyway.” as he looks over his shoulder.
Climmie will sing like a bird! 🐦 🎶 lay into him!
Wow! I’m so shocked! We need to legalize marijuana and let the corporations and government control all the proceeds. Then we can be safe! And only good things will happen!! Who’s with me?!
Legalize and Regulate!! Legalize and Regulate!!
What a shit show.
Sign me up!
Does it still count if i put “Under Duress” by a name that phonetically sounds like the one i go by?
you live by the sword, you die by it
“S/he who fights and runs away lives to fight just one more day.”
Jose was a good man. It will be sad not to see his face around. My prayers go out to the family. RIP brother.
According to the time line reported, Carreon jailed 7/10/18, Sierra arrested Tuesday, 7/17/18 and Hill interviewed and arrested Wednesday, 7/18/18, why do you think Hill “sang” as he was the last to be brought in? Also, according to detectives, Sierra shot Mr. Martinez, and Sierra and Carreon buried Mr. Martinez, not sure about Hill’s role. One thing is for sure, this is a tragedy for all of the families and children connected to this case. Heartfelt condolences to Jose Martinez’s family for the loss of their loved one.