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Warden: Martin wanted death penalty
WAYNESBURG - A day after he was arrested for the murder of a 12-year-old girl, Jeffrey Robert Martin said he did it, he planned to plead guilty and he wanted the death penalty, according to testimony offered Monday in Greene County Court.
That incident was one of two confessions presented during the third day of Martin's trial. Jurors also heard from Martin himself, through a taped confession that was played.
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Harry Gillispie, warden at Greene County Jail, testified that he met with Martin to inform him that he would be placed in protective custody. Gillispie said other inmates threatened Martin, so he had to be isolated from the general population for his safety.
"He said, 'I know; I did it. I'm going to plead guilty and I'm going to ask for the death penalty,'" Gillispie said. Later, Martin said he did not molest the girl.
The warden said he didn't specifically ask Martin if he committed the crime. The conversation was merely to explain the process of protective custody, but Martin blurted out the information anyway.
Martin also confessed to state police, and the prosecution played a recording for the jury. On the recording, Martin sounds relatively calm as he describes how he choked the girl and buried her body, as well as her all-terrain vehicle and belongings.
Martin says he encountered Gabrielle about 8:10 a.m. on the date of her disappearance, June 13, 2006. She rode her ATV to the farm and told Martin that she was going to tell her parents he molested her and that her parents were going to sue Martin and the owner of the farm, Traci Hammond.
Martin says on the tape that he grabbed the girl and asked, "Why would you say something like that?"
Gabrielle jumped off her ATV and tried to run away, but she fell and Martin jumped on her.
"I'm still scared and panicked and I started choking her," Martin says. At this point, Trooper Thomas Schuster, the chief investigator in the case, asks him how long he choked the girl.
"Oh, it was a good while," Martin replies.
"Until she stopped moving?" Schuster asks.
"Yeah," Martin says.
Members of the Bechen family quietly cried as the tape was being played.
On the recording, Martin also describes how he placed the body in the back of a Kawasaki Mule utility vehicle, drove to a burn pile adjacent to Mt. Joy Road and used a backhoe to dig a grave. He says he then placed the body in the grave, dumped lime and the lime bags on top of her, and covered the hole.
Martin explains on the tape how he tried to dispose of the girl's ATV. He used the Mule to transport the ATV to a hollow elsewhere on the farm and tried to dig a pit by hand, but he was unable to get the hole very deep because of rocks and a gas line. So, he placed the ATV in the shallow hole, flattened its tires, tried to push the handlebars down and finally dumped manure over the vehicle to hide it. He says that he buried her helmet and shoes in separate holes nearby.
Volunteers Kim and Larry Bedillion of Waynesburg found the ATV on day five of the search for the girl, which led to Martin's arrest and eventual confession.
The confession did not come quickly and defense attorneys Harry Cancelmi and Ryan Armstrong questioned several troopers about their interrogation tactics during cross examination. The defense has claimed Martin was locked in a hot car for hours and he was denied food, water and an attorney.
At first, Martin denied knowing Gabrielle's whereabouts and he stated that he thought he needed an attorney during initial questioning, according to Schuster and several other troopers. The interview stopped there and Martin was placed in a police car under guard.
It was warm that day, but several troopers testified that the car was parked in the shade with the windows down. After about three hours, Martin apparently summoned a state constable, William Lewis Jr., who was standing nearby. Lewis testified Monday that he has known Martin for a few years.
At the time, police officers were searching the area where the ATV was found. So, Martin told Lewis that he wanted to save them time because the girl was not in that area, Lewis said.
That exchange led to a second round of questioning in which Martin told police that a fat, bald guy from Bobtown driving a white pickup truck offered him $100 to bury the ATV.
Troopers didn't buy the explanation and some of them became angry over what they perceived to be a lie. He stuck to his story until several troopers began begging him to tell them the whereabouts of Gabrielle.
"I have never said please to someone in handcuffs in my career," said Cpl. William Barnhart. "I was out of options at that point. Nothing else seemed to work, so I pleaded with him to tell us where she was."
Schuster, Barnhart and Trooper Mark Schmelzlen all testified that Martin eventually agreed to take the troopers to the places where he buried her helmet and shoes and, finally, where he buried her body.
Two state police troopers also testified that they saw Martin watching them as they led search crews near the farm in Dunkard Township. Once Martin realized that some of the crew members noticed him, he quickly turned away, said Sgt. Kevin Kolson and Barnhart.
Martin : 5/6/2008
Death Penalty
give him the death penalty : 5/6/2008
martin : 5/7/2008
Death penalty is a joke. Years of living off the taxpayers, preferencal treatment, filing appeals at taxpayers expense. More consideration than he gave that little girl. But, still, death penalty, no chance of parole. Our sympathy to her parents how have to sit and listen to all this.
Death Penalty Is To Easy : 5/7/2008
The night the news came out the Gabbys body was found i was DJing at the Greensboro firehall and the pain, Fear, & anger felt by everyone was horrible this man does not deserve to live another minute execute him were he sits my family prays for this little girl and her parents everynight
trail : 5/7/2008
give him the chair give him the gas we don't need to feed him. he don't desire to live give him the legal injection
Martin : 5/7/2008
If the jury can't decide, just let him out...us tax payers can take care of it ourselves
