LAS VEGAS, NV – A teenager from Nevada has confessed to killing a man by shooting him in the back of the head after battling ongoing urges to commit murder, authorities reported.
Nineteen-year-old Joshua Martinez is facing charges of open murder with a deadly weapon, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Martinez allegedly expressed to police that his decision to kill was targeted and premeditated, influenced by a period of intense violent fantasies.
The fatal shooting occurred in the early hours of February 17 near a Walgreens on North Durango Drive in Las Vegas’s Coral Bay area. Emergency services received a 911 call at approximately 2:45 a.m., reporting a man in distress, possibly suicidal, and having ingested a large number of pills, according to court documents.
Upon police arrival, the victim was found wrapped in a white sheet near the pharmacy steps, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. Despite attempts to revive him, the man was declared dead at the scene.
A local resident stepped forward shortly after to identify Martinez as the shooter. The witness described waking up to disturbing noises around 3 a.m. outside his home.
Police swiftly located Martinez, arresting him at his residence, where they found two handguns. During an interview with police, Martinez is said to have confessed to harboring increasingly violent thoughts, especially under the influence of alcohol.
According to his account, the night of the shooting, Martinez had been drinking when he attempted to steal money using his parents’ debit card. Failing to withdraw cash, he reportedly grew paranoid about men dressed in white whom he thought were following him. Returning home to arm himself with two guns, he later encountered the victim, a man in a white hoodie.
Martinez allegedly approached the man, who requested to borrow a phone to call for medical assistance. While Martinez offered to escort the stranger to a nearby hospital, they sat together on some steps instead.
The discussion took a dark turn after Martinez purportedly confessed his homicidal desires. According to the report, the victim reciprocated with his own story of past violence, which triggered Martinez’s decision to kill.
Martinez recounted offering the man a drink, then shooting him from behind, fleeing the scene immediately afterward.
Currently held without bail in Clark County Detention Center, Martinez is scheduled for an initial court hearing on April 4.