Jeffrey R. Martin was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on homicide and other charges in the death of Gabrielle M. Bechen, who hung out on the farm where he worked because she liked to visit the horses.
Gabrielle vanished June 13 when she left her rural home to ride her all-terrain vehicle to the farm. State troopers said they found her ATV in a manure pit Saturday and questioned Martin that afternoon because his duties at the farm included hauling manure. Martin led them to the girl's grave, officials said.
Prosecutors said he confessed and played a recording of his statement in court. "She just came out of the blue and said, 'I'm going to tell my mom and dad that you molested me,'" Martin said on the tape. "And I just panicked." Martin, 48, has a record of petty crimes. He did not confess to molesting Gabrielle, authorities said.
Martin told troopers she jumped off her four-wheeler and ran down the farm's driveway after confronting him. He said he chased after her and, when she fell on loose gravel, jumped on top of her. "I'm still scared, panicked, and I started choking her," he said in the recording. Martin told the troopers it was a "good while" before the girl stopped moving.
Bechen's body was found in a shallow grave beneath some rocks on the farm. Authorities said he strangled her and then used farm equipment to move her body to the field where he buried her, her ATV, her helmet and her shoes in four separate holes. Martin also will stand trial on an aggravated assault charge and four counts of tampering with physical evidence.
Public Defender Harry Cancelmi did not directly contradict the charges against Martin, but after the hearing attempted to explain why his client had trouble holding jobs and had a criminal record. Martin was badly injured in an accident when he was 12 and spent two years in a body cast. He fell behind in school and, Cancelmi said, that possibly affected him mentally. (Who cares??? What kind of excuse is that?!) The girl's parents, Christopher and Blanche Bechen, wept quietly as Martin's statement was played at his preliminary hearing. They later declined comment.
2 comments:
I am Gabby's cousin and neighbor. I would like to thank you for posting this on your site.
We all hope justice will prevail!!!
Best Wishes.
I am glad that this page still exists, as this young girl deserves to be remembered. But I must add, you have some false information as to where her body was found. She was not found in a shallow grave, it was over five foot deep. Nor was she buried under some rocks on the farm. Her bod was covered in lime and placed in a hole that was dug by a back hoe by Martin, he then smoothed over the dirt to make the hole less noticeable. Her ATV was buried in another hole that was dug, had the tires flattened and manure spread over it. Her clothing and shoes were found in a burn pit that had also been dug not far from the locations of her body and her ATV. Again, I appreciate that you are sharing Gabby's story, but you shouldn't be posting false information on an already terribly tragic story. Chris and Mimi deserve to have their daughters story told in its entirety and with truthful information.
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