Two men, one teen charged in fatal Mount Olympus trailhead shooting
Aug 23, 2024, 5:36 PM | Updated: 7:29 pm
SOUTH SALT LAKE — Two people are facing felony murder charges for their alleged involvement in the killing of a teenager in August.
On Friday, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced that Mateo Martinez, 20, and Alexander Ruiz-Martinez, 19, were charged with multiple gang-enhanced felony charges, including murder, aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated assault.
According to the district attorney’s office, on Aug. 3, Salt Lake County Sheriff’s deputies responded to an urgent welfare check at the Mount Olympus trailhead parking lot. When the deputies arrived, they found 18-year-old Naod Welday killed in a Hyundai driver’s seat and a second teen a mile north of the scene with injuries to his face.
The second teen told deputies that he, Welday, and two other friends met in the trailhead parking lot when two men approached them and asked if they were gang-affiliated.
“When the victims told the two males that they were not, one of the suspects hit (the second teen), who ran away and hid. Two cars started driving around as if they were looking for (the second teen,)” the district attorney’s office press release stated.
While in hiding, the second teen called one of his friends to tell him to get into the car with Welday and lock the doors.
“While (Welday) and (the third teen) were locked in the Hyundai, four males who had been in the cars looking for (the second teen) forced their way into the locked vehicle by breaking the windows,” the office said.
In a recorded 911 call placed by Welday at 4:23 a.m., the teens are heard screaming and crying while being attacked by the four men who were pounding on windows and breaking them.
“In the 911 call, multiple gunshots can be heard. (Welday) was in the driver’s seat of the car and was shot and killed, while (the third teen), who had been in the passenger seat, was hit in the head with a hammer but was able to escape,” the office said.
During the investigation, detectives reported finding a palm print on one of the Hyundai’s windows, which matched the 15-year-old, who is a known gang member.
Detectives also found a Toronto Bluejays hat that matched a photo of Martinez wearing the hat, who is also a gang member.
According to the district attorney’s office, a warrant was served on Martinez’s phone, which was found at the crime scene. Detectives found a message on Martinez’s phone that was sent from Ruiz-Martinez, a gang member, at 4:20 a.m. saying, “Yo hurry up, come to the view.”
“Detectives believe that text was sent because (Martinez) had been in one of the cars looking for (the second teen), and (Ruiz-Martinez) was trying to get the group to return to the trailhead. Cell phone data showed that Ruiz-Martinez had initially arrived at the trailhead at around 4:05 (a.m.,)” the office said.
According to the district attorney’s office, Ruiz-Martinez and Martinez are charged with the following:
- one count of first-degree felony murder,
- two counts of first-degree felony aggravated kidnapping,
- two counts of first-degree felony discharge of a firearm with serious bodily injury,
- one count of second-degree felony aggravated assault,
- and one count of class A misdemeanor assault.
Ruiz-Martinez is facing additional charges of one count of second-degree felony possession of a firearm by a restricted person and one count of third-degree felony failure to respond to an officer’s signal to stop.
According to the district attorney’s office, the 15-year-old has been charged in the juvenile court. The sheriff’s office said it is searching for the fourth man that was involved in this case.
“Our hearts go out to the victims and their loved ones for the grief they are all experiencing after this deadly incident. One life lost through gun violence in our community is one life too many,” Gill said in the press release.
