Left: Natalie Navarro. Right: Yordy Martinez (Dallas County Jail). Inset: Arturo Pena (Laurel Oaks Funeral Home).
Police in Texas initially believed that Natalie Navarro, who was 17 at the time, was a kidnapping victim when they discovered a deceased man who had been shot in August 2023 in Garland, a suburb of Dallas. They issued an Amber Alert but later discovered that she was not a victim but rather a suspect involved in a robbery and murder.
Over a year later, Navarro, now 19, admitted to the murder of 21-year-old Arturo Peña. A judge sentenced her to 40 years in prison with credit for 485 days already served, as documented in court records.
On August 29, 2023, Garland police responded to a call in Audubon Park on West Oates Road shortly after 10 a.m. The call reported a man who appeared to be unconscious in a vehicle. However, upon arrival, officers found that the man had been shot.
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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.
