A 21-year-old woman who was fatally stabbed by her ex-boyfriend called her mother 30 minutes before the attack to say she was being threatened by the man authorities believe later killed her, court records show.
Charges against a 21-year-old man accused in the Lakewood stabbing at a motel Wednesday will be amended after the woman died Sunday, Lakewood police say. Leonard Paul Martinez was arrested on Friday in connection with the stabbing and is being held at the Jefferson County jail.
Witnesses described a grisly scene to investigators in which Martinez’s ex-girlfriend, Kendra Chavez, was pleading for help as blood “spurted” from a stab wound to her neck, an arrest affidavit shows.
“The blood pattern I observed is consistent with an arterial type of bleed,” an investigator wrote in his report.
Police say before Martinez fled after the stabbing, he pleaded with motel residents to help save Chavez. One man who came to aid Chavez said she was unable to speak because of the amount of blood in her throat.
Lakewood police were called Wednesday to the motel on the 6600 block of West Mississippi Avenue on reports of a stabbing where they found Chavez suffering from life-threatening stab wounds.
Investigators believe Martinez stabbed Chavez during “some type” of domestic violence incident, police said.
Authorities said during their investigation they were made aware of past domestic violence incidents between the couple.
“At some point the district attorney’s office will file the new and most appropriate homicide-related charges against Martinez,” police said in a news release.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or
