Investigators say Katlynne Roy had neck and eye injuries when officers found her inside a midtown home.
TUCSON, Ariz. — Tucson police built a first-degree murder case against Martine Mayorquin after officers found Katlynne Roy dead with apparent strangulation trauma and documented witness accounts, injuries and an alleged confession, authorities said.
The investigation began as a call for service on April 13 and became a domestic violence homicide case within hours. Mayorquin, 32, is accused of killing Roy, 28, at a home in the 600 block of North Dodge Boulevard. He also faces three counts of domestic violence child abuse because three children were inside the home during the alleged attack. Police said detectives determined probable cause for the arrest after reviewing the scene, the children’s presence, physical injuries and statements attributed to Mayorquin.
The first layer of evidence came from outside the apartment. Police said 911 callers reported a commotion shortly before 6 p.m. A neighbor heard children screaming and crying and contacted a property manager, according to complaint details later made public. The property manager opened the door and found Roy lying on the ground, with Mayorquin standing over her. The children were in a bathroom, crying. When officers arrived, they found Roy unresponsive on the floor. She had apparent trauma to her neck and was pronounced dead at the scene. Tucson police announced that officers were investigating a homicide near Dodge Boulevard and Fifth Street and said there was no threat to the wider public. The next update identified Roy and named Mayorquin as the suspect.
The second layer came from the body and the condition of the people in the home. The complaint said Roy had injuries to her neck and at least one eye consistent with strangulation. Police also documented scratch marks on Mayorquin’s chest and back. Investigators said Mayorquin claimed those scratches came from Roy as she fought back. Authorities have not released a complete autopsy, and the official medical findings were not included in the first public reports. The complaint did not say that officers found a weapon. Instead, the public record centers on manual force, injuries consistent with choking and Mayorquin’s alleged description of what he did. Police also reported that Mayorquin attempted to render aid, but Roy died at the scene. It was not clear from the early documents when that aid began or what steps were taken before paramedics or officers arrived.
The third layer came from statements. One child told investigators he saw his father choking his mother, according to the complaint. After Mayorquin received Miranda warnings, he allegedly told officers he had choked Roy twice. Investigators said he described the first hold as lasting about three minutes. He then stopped for about two minutes before applying the hold again for about five minutes. The hold was described in the affidavit as a rear naked choke hold. The complaint also said Mayorquin punched Roy in the mouth twice between the chokings. At the first appearance, a major crimes official said Mayorquin admitted strangling Roy in front of children ages 7, 5 and 3 until she was no longer responsive. That statement, if admitted in court, could become a key part of the prosecution’s case. Defense attorneys may still seek to review the circumstances of the interview and any recording or officer notes.
The charge structure shows how prosecutors are framing the event. First-degree murder is the lead allegation and centers on Roy’s death. The three child abuse counts focus on the children and the alleged harm or danger tied to what happened in their presence. Early reports described the children as Roy and Mayorquin’s children. Their names were not released. Authorities have not publicly said whether child welfare officials placed them with family, whether they received medical evaluations or whether each child gave a statement. Those questions may remain outside public view because the children are minors. The complaint’s public details are enough to show why prosecutors separated the charges: one count for the death and one count for each child allegedly exposed to the violence.
The court process began April 14 with a first appearance. Prosecutors asked for a $1 million bond. A public defender asked the judge to set a lower amount and said Mayorquin had no prior criminal history. The judge granted the prosecution’s request. Mayorquin remained in the Pima County Jail in the initial reports, with a next court date listed for April 24. The case had not reached a trial stage in those reports. At this point, the allegations must be tested through formal filings, evidence exchange and hearings. Prosecutors will need to show the legal basis for the charges, while the defense can challenge evidence, seek records and raise arguments about release, statements or probable cause. Mayorquin is presumed innocent unless convicted.
The location added practical details to the investigation. The 600 block of North Dodge Boulevard is in midtown Tucson, close enough to neighbors that screams and crying carried beyond the room. That proximity appears to have shaped the response. The neighbor did not go directly into the home but contacted the property manager, who had access to check the unit. The property manager’s entry gave police an immediate witness to the scene before officers arrived. Officers then inherited a scene with a deceased victim, a suspect still present and three distressed children in a bathroom. Investigators likely had to separate witnesses, preserve the apartment, document injuries and secure statements while also arranging care for the children. Police have not said whether they recovered phones, photographs, building records or other evidence from inside the home.
Several key facts remain unknown in the public record. Authorities have not released a motive. They have not said what happened immediately before the first choking described in the complaint. They have not said whether Roy called for help, whether the children tried to intervene or whether anyone outside the home heard specific words. They have not released the full 911 recordings or the property manager’s complete statement. They have not said whether prosecutors have received the final medical examiner’s report. What is public is the narrow but serious timeline: a disturbance before 6 p.m., cries from children, a property manager entering, Roy found on the floor, police arriving, Mayorquin arrested and a judge setting a $1 million bond the next day.
The investigation now moves through the slower court record, where police reports, medical findings and witness statements may become part of future proceedings. The early public facts remain focused on the apartment, the children and Mayorquin’s alleged post-arrest account. As of the latest initial reports, he remained charged in Roy’s death and the case was awaiting its next scheduled court step.
Author note: Last updated May 7, 2026.