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The man accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend during a domestic dispute in a Spenard apartment Monday evening told police, “I’m guilty” in a call minutes later, according to charging documents filed Tuesday.
James Martin Marquez, 34, has been charged with first-degree and second-degree murder, after officers responded at about 5:45 p.m. Monday to 3032 W. 42nd Ave. to reports that a woman was shot in the head in an upstairs apartment.
According to court documents, Marquez initially told dispatchers the victim -- 47-year-old Carla Webb -- was lying in bed and that the shooting was an accident, but then said she was still breathing and that he shot her on purpose. He then said he would unload all of his weapons, step outside and surrender to officers upon their arrival.
When a dispatcher asked Marquez what happened just before the shooting, he said, “Domestic violence, it is what it is, just punish me.”
Officers subsequently arrived and took Marquez into custody without incident.
“Marquez told responding officers he and Webb had domestic violence issues and that he had been drinking that day,” prosecutors wrote. “Marquez said he didn’t know where he put the gun that he used to shoot Carla Webb. Officers located a semi-automatic handgun on the kitchen counter and within a few inches of the handgun they observed what appeared to be a blood smear.”
Later Monday, Marquez told police he'd taken several pills of Lorazepam, an anti-anxiety drug, as well as alcohol.
Marquez was arraigned Tuesday afternoon. He is being held on $500,000 bail and $50,000 cash performance bail, with a third-party custodian required for release.
Email Rebecca Palsha