The California man suspected of murdering his mother, niece, ex-girlfriend, their infant daughter and her daughter from another relationship has now been charged in the October death of his ex-lover's son.
Martin Martinez, 30, was arrested Sunday in San Jose on suspicion of murder in the deaths of Dr Amanda Crews, 38, her six-year-old daughter Elizabeth and their six-month-old daughter Rachael.
Modesto police also believe Martinez killed his 57-year-old mother, Anna Brown Romero, and his five-year-old niece at a home in Modesto on Saturday and he is being held without bail.
On Monday, Martinez was charged in the October 2 death of two-year-old Christopher Ray Ripley, Crews' son from her marriage to Timothy Ripley.
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Tragic doctor: Dr Amanda Crews and her six-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, pictured left, were identified as victims in a quintuple homicide that also took the life of Crews' six-month-old baby. Her ex-boyfriend, Martin Martinez (right), is the main suspect and is facing a murder charge in the October death of her son.
Crews was found murdered alongside her two daughters, Romero and Martinez's unnamed niece by police performing a welfare check on Saturday afternoon.
According to young Christopher's October obituary, Crews also had a son and daughter from a past relationship in addition to the three children who Martinez is now suspected of killing.
Police were investigating a link between Christopher's death and Martinez, but Chief Galen Carroll insisted the department had 'absolutely not' made a grave mistake by failing to arrest him earlier, according to the Modesto Bee.
Brutal end: Crew, 38, a family physician from Modesto, was found dead inside her Modesto, California, home Saturday
Chief Carroll said: 'The Modesto Police Department did not drop the ball.
'There has to be enough time to file a case. We had received a verbal indication Thursday and not the final report.'
Crews' mother, Paulette Beidleman, of Nevada, told the Fresno Bee she last spoke to her daughter Thursday and everything seemed fine.
A friend and former colleague of Crews', Dr Alisha Pratt, said both the physician and Martinez had once worked together for Stanislaus County's Health Services Agency.
Pratt, who first met Crews sometime in 2009 during her family medicine residency in Modesto, described the slain woman as an amazing doctor who, in her capacity as an attending physician, had taught residents to be compassionate and caring towards their patients.
Crews' mother said Amanda decided to pursue a career in medicine after she broke her arm as a young girl.
'She was a people person. She was very outgoing,' said the grieving mother and grandmother.
Crews went on to graduate from Boston College and the Boston University School of Medicine, and worked in both Turlock and Modesto as a family doctor, reported Turlock City News.
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Innocents: Elizabeth Ripley, pictured left and right with her late brother, Christopher, was among the three children killed Saturday. Christopher Ripley, two, died in an unrelated accident last year
Next-door neighbor Depali Thecer confirmed Martinez's mother stayed in the Modesto home with Crews and her daughters.
Police think Martinez killed his 57-year-old mother, Anna Brown Romero, on Saturday as well
The station KTVU reported that the niece who was killed Saturday was visiting Crews' home for a sleepover.
Police aren't releasing information about a motive, cause of death or how long the three girls and two women had been dead when they were found, according to Modesto police spokeswoman Heather Graves.
Investigators named Martinez as a 'person of interest' in the case Saturday and identified his vehicle as a Lincoln Navigator.
San Jose police spokesman Albert Morales said officers found the vehicle abandoned in the southeastern part of San Jose.
Morales said Martinez switched vehicles and drove off with a relative.
Police found the second vehicle in a parking lot after midnight and waited for Martinez to return, Morales said.
He was arrested without incident.
A cousin of Martinez's insisted that he is a good man and not a monster.
At least five dead: Police have located 30-year-old Martinez and he is being held without bail after his arrest
Welfare check: Officers responding to a request to conduct a welfare check on the home discovered the bodies Saturday afternoon
The house where the bodies were found is in a tidy subdivision lined with four- and five-bedroom homes that were built seven or eight years ago, the Modesto Bee reported.
Nimala Kumar, who lives five houses down from where the bodies were found, said the street is quiet and she never knew of any problems at the home.
'It's a very quiet street. We all pretty much keep to ourselves,' Kumar said.
'For something like this to happen is unbelievable.'
The house on Nob Hill Court is in a tidy subdivision lined with four- and five-bedroom homes that were built seven or eight years ago
Police spokeswoman Heather Graves said she didn't know Martinez's relationship to the victims
'This is quite a large crime scene, especially with five deceased,' Graves said
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