John Jefferson
Left: Natalie Navarro. Right: Yordy Martinez (Dallas County Jail). Inset: Arturo Pena (Laurel Oaks Funeral Home).
Cops in Texas first thought Natalie Navarro, then 17, was the victim of a kidnapping after they found a man shot to death in August 2023 in the Dallas suburb of Garland. But after issuing an Amber Alert, police learned she was no victim but a suspect complicit in robbery and murder.
More than a year later, Navarro, now 19, pleaded guilty to murder in the death of 21-year-old Arturo Peña and a judge sentenced her to 40 years in prison with 485 days credit for time served, according to court records.
Garland cops were dispatched just after 10 a.m. on Aug. 29, 2023, to the 300 block of West Oates Road in Audubon Park, according to a press statement. The call was about a man possibly passed out in a vehicle. But officers arrived to find that he had suffered a gunshot wound.
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As Law&Crime previously reported, Detectives identified the victim as Peña, a resident of Mesquite. He had been reported as missing to Dallas cops two days earlier. It turns out he was the victim of a ruse. Peña and Navarro met online, and she lured him to the home where her boyfriend, Yordy “Jordy” Martinez, then 21, was waiting to rob him. Investigators believe Martinez shot and killed Peña during the robbery.
After finding Navarro, detectives were able to ferret out the truth and obtained murder warrants on both her and Martinez. Navarro has been in jail ever since but Martinez remains on the lam. Peña’s family voiced concern at the time Martinez could have fled to Mexico, according to local Fox affiliate KDFW. But police in Laredo, a Lone Star State city on the Mexican border some 450 miles southwest from the scene of the murder, said in March that Martinez may be in the area.
His criminal history includes a felony indictment for allegedly firing a gun into a home in Garland in November 2022. Authorities described him as having black hair, brown eyes, weighing 120 pounds, and standing 5 feet, 7 inches. He is missing one of his front teeth.
From Garland cops:
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Martinez or with information related to this incident is encouraged to call the Garland Police Department at 972-485-4840. People can also submit an anonymous tip to Garland Crime Stoppers at www.garlandcrimestoppers.org or by calling 972-272-8477 (TIPS).
An obituary said Peña was HVAC tech for three years and “worked day and night to provide for his family.
“Always spreading his contagious joy, laughter and especially his smile, every day here on Earth. Most importantly his silly faces and jokes that we will remember to this day,” the obituary said.
Alberto Luperon contributed to this report.
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