PASADENA, TX – Two teenagers are facing capital murder charges for the shooting death of a 19-year-old in Pasadena. Cruz Martinez, 18, has been charged with capital murder and tampering with evidence, while 17-year-old Serenity Delgado, named as a co-defendant, faces the same charges. Both are accused of the premeditated and intentional killing of Nathaniel Navarro during an attempted robbery.
Court records indicate that Martinez shot and killed Navarro, later concealing his body after the shooting. Navarro’s body was discovered in the 1000 block of Satsuma Street in Pasadena after his mother tracked his cell phone to Satsuma Park. It is alleged that Martinez and his co-defendants had planned to meet Navarro, feigning interest in buying drugs, but with the intent to rob him.
According to authorities, Martinez admitted to planning and executing the robbery and murder and, with assistance, attempted to dispose of the body in the park to conceal it from law enforcement and others. Records reveal that Navarro’s phone was thrown into a bayou, his sweatshirt discarded in a dumpster, and the suspects sold his gun.
During Martinez’s court appearance, Magistrate Judge Lisa Porter denied bond, deeming him an extreme danger to the community. Delgado’s bond has not been set as of now.
Notably, at the time of the murder, Martinez was out on bond for unrelated charges, including DWI and unlawfully carrying a weapon. One other co-defendant is implicated in the case but has not been arrested or charged as of yet.