Caldwell Man Admits to Murder of Girlfriend

CALDWELL, Idaho (AP) — A man who admitted he beat his girlfriend to death has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

Two additional charges, including destruction of evidence and failure to report a death to the authorities, were dropped for 39-year-old Alfredo Martinez in exchange for his plea Monday. Martinez told police last summer he hit Selena Thomas with a hammer and shoved her into a dresser when she stepped toward him.

He said he put Thomas' body in a closet, where it remained for two days before he and his friends buried her in a cornfield near Melba. Thomas' death led Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue and former Nampa Police Chief Curtis Homer to work on a bill that would establish a state violent offender registry. Martinez' sentencing is now scheduled for July 27.