ANAHEIM, Calif. – A 21-year-old man from Phoenix, Aristeo Martinez, appeared in court in Santa Ana on Friday for allegedly killing another man in the Gardenwalk parking structure back in May.
Court records show that Martinez was charged with murder on May 26, along with sentencing enhancements for discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury or death and personal use of a firearm.
Martinez was arrested earlier this month in Arizona and was scheduled to be arraigned in the jail courtroom in Santa Ana on Friday. However, the hearing was rescheduled for July 18 at the North Justice Center in Fullerton. His bail was set at $1 million.
The victim of the alleged murder was 32-year-old Deonte Marquis Lenin from Highland. Anaheim police Sgt. Jon McClintock stated that they responded to a large fight at the shopping center on West Katella Avenue around 2 a.m.
It is believed that the individuals involved in the fight had some connection to an altercation or fight that occurred at the HEAT Ultra Lounge, which is located in the Gardenwalk shopping center.
The police were still investigating the cause of the fight and stated that the people involved did not appear to know each other beforehand.
Upon arriving at the scene, officers found Lenin with at least one gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead. Another victim, 21-year-old Elian Tanori Arvayo from Phoenix, was discovered in the parking structure with blunt force trauma. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was later pronounced dead.
Martinez was booked on suspicion of killing Lenin and was held in a Maricopa County Jail. The investigation into the other killing was ongoing, and the suspect had not been identified yet.