Woman who died after she was beaten into a coma by abusive ex-boyfriend predicted her death on Facebook five months earlier – Stella Martin predicted ‘I’ll be dead before they do anything’
‘I’ll be dead before they do anything’:
Stella Martinez died after she was beaten into a coma by abusive ex-boyfriend
On June 3, she was nearly choked to death by 41-year-old ex-boyfriend, Christopher Wood
Stella Martinez, 39, of Las Vegas died on June 23 from brain injuries, but she had predicted her death on Facebook five months earlier
Martinez was hospitalized for nearly three weeks before she died
Martinez used Facebook page to describe tumultuous relationship with Wood
She warned he would kill her and also said police did not adequately protect
Wood was arrested on attempted murder, attempted burglary and domestic battery by strangulation
Charges likely to be upgraded before a July 14 preliminary hearing of evidence against him
In the wake of Martinez’s death, it has become apparent that she foresaw her tragic end.
A 39-year-old Las Vegas woman who was beaten into a coma by her ex-boyfriend and eventually died of her injuries last week, apparently for saw her own demise and predicted her own death on social media.
The Clark County coroner said Stella Martinez died on June 23 at Summer in Hospital of brain injuries following the June 3 incident.
Her death was ruled a homicide.
Police say a patrol officer responding to a report of a man trying to break into a home saw 41-year-old Christopher Wood attacking and choking Martinez on the ground in the backyard.
Martinez was hospitalized for nearly three weeks before she died.
Stella Martinez [left], who was choked into unconsciousness by her ex-boyfriend, Christopher Wood [right], died of her injuries 11 days ago
Martinez died on June 23 at Summerlin Hospital of brain injuries following the June 3 assault by Woods
Wood was arrested on attempted murder, attempted burglary and domestic battery by strangulation charges that are expected to be upgraded before a July 14 preliminary hearing of evidence against him.
In the wake of Martinez’s death, it has become apparent that she foresaw her tragic end, according to Las Vegas Review Journal.
She posted a number of Facebook messages on her profile which suggest that she was helpless in the face of an abusive man who she feared would one day kill her.
A patrol officer responding to a report of a man trying to break into a home saw Wood attacking and choking Martinez on the ground in the backyard
In the wake of Martinez’s death, it has become apparent that she foresaw her tragic end. She posted a number of Facebook messages on her profile which suggest that she was helpless in the face of an abusive man who she feared would one day kill her
‘I’ll be dead before (they) do anything,’ she wrote in a Facebook comment in January.
Her Facebook account has been deactivated.
The Facebook accounts of both Martinez and Wood indicate that the pair began dating around May of last year.
They are seen together in photos dated all throughout 2016, exchanging loving messages to one another in August and October.
But this past January, the tone of the social media posts changed dramatically.
‘I wish I never met you, I did everything for you,’ Martinez wrote.
She accused Wood of being a sociopath who destroyed her life, according to the Review Journal.
Christopher Wood [left] was arrested on attempted murder, attempted burglary and domestic battery by strangulation. Charges undoubtedly will be upgraded before a July 14 preliminary hearing of evidence
Martinez went public on social media in order to warn other women about Wood and as a means of empowering herself.
‘Although I have no doubt [you’re] still going to try to kill me but you will never find me,’ she posted on his Facebook page in January.
When Martinez posted the messages on her own account, a number of her Facebook friends urged her to either obtain a restraining order against Wood or move out of town where she would be safe.
Martinez also posted messages on Wood’s Facebook wall, but those messages were largely ignored, according to the Review Journal.
Stella Martinez went public on social media in order to warn other women about ChristopherWood. She posted a number of Facebook messages on her profile which suggest that she was helpless in the face of an abusive man who she feared would one day kill her
Police confirmed that they were called several times about domestic violence incidents between the couple.
On one occasion, police arrested Martinez and charged her with a crime.
Martinez wrote on her Facebook account that she feared police would once again turn against her if she sought their help.
Christopher Wood has a prior history of domestic battery.
In 2014 he pled guilty to a charge of attempted battery resulting in substantial bodily harm and was sentenced to a year in prison. Police records show he attacked his ex-wife with his truck at her home.
He drove his truck into a car parked on her driveway, pinning her between two vehicles and injuring her, records show.
Before she was killed, her family believed the couple had broken off their relationship decisively, Avras said.
Those who knew Martinez said she felt compassion for Wood and wanted to help him – just as she had wanted to help others who suffered from drug addiction, as she had.
‘Stella had a heart for people who struggled,’ her friend Rachael Chesin said.
‘She helped many people get clean, and she truly loved God and loved people deeply.’
Social media posts suggest the two began dating about May 2016. The pair are seen in a number of photographs together throughout 2016 and can be seen in August and October exchanging expressions of love on each other’s pages.
But the public face of the relationship took a turn shortly afterward. Martinez posted on Wood’s page in January, calling him a sociopath.
“I wish I never met you, I did everything for you,” she wrote. She then accused him of destroying her life.
‘I’ll be dead before (they) do anything,’ she wrote in a Facebook comment in January.
Martinez wrote that she was calling him out on social media to take back her power and warn other women about him.
Other comments foreshadowed the danger she faced.
“Although I have no doubt (you’re) still going to try to kill me but you will never find me,” she posted on his Facebook page in January.
In one comment, she described failed efforts to seek help from authorities. She wrote that police had taken his side in previous disputes and would not help her.
Avras told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that police were called several times. After one fight, North Las Vegas officers booked Martinez, not Wood, on a domestic violence charge, she said.
Sgt. Ann Cavaricci, a North Las Vegas police spokeswoman, confirmed that officers responded to a fight between the couple in November. Martinez was arrested and convicted of a domestic violence charge.
She stopped calling the police after that, because she was afraid they would turn against her, Avras said.
Martinez’s social network had responded to her posts, urging her to get a protection order, move and get away. Her posts on Wood’s page were generally ignored, except in a few instances in which he called Martinez crazy.
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