Life Sentence for San Angelo Man Who Left Mutilated Woman at ER

SAN ANGELO, TX — A Tom Green County jury has found Frank Alton Martinez, 42, guilty of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury with a deadly weapon to a household member. Martinez was sentenced to life in prison Thursday by 340th District Judge Jay Weatherby following a punishment hearing that revealed a history of violent offenses.

The charges stem from an April 15, 2024, assault in which a severely injured woman entered the emergency room at Shannon Medical Center around 2:12 a.m. Surveillance footage showed her arriving barefoot from a silver Dodge Durango, which investigators later linked to Martinez. The vehicle left the scene with its lights off moments after she entered, we reported back in 2024. 

Medical staff determined she had broken ribs, a collapsed lung, multiple fractures, and deep lacerations. She was stabilized and sedated, unable to identify herself, and had to be fingerprinted. An ICU nurse testified that it took approximately two hours for her and a colleague to remove gasoline, blood, and grass burrs from the woman’s hair.

A later search of Martinez’s vehicle revealed blood evidence throughout "nearly every surface," a machete with the victim’s blood on the blade and his DNA on the handle, and clothing soaked in gasoline. Crime scene technicians also recovered Martinez’s wallet and personal papers inside the vehicle. Written consent allowed investigators to search his residence on Iris Street, where they found six baseball bats in the kitchen.

Violent San Angelo Man Arrested for Brutal Assault and Robbery

On April 19, the victim regained consciousness and identified Martinez as her attacker. She told investigators he had beaten her with a machete and bat, poured gasoline on her while she was in the back of the vehicle, and threatened to kill her and her family if she spoke to police. She believed she was going to die. Martinez later dropped her off at the emergency room.

Martinez was arrested the same day and indicted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and robbery. At trial, prosecutors presented this evidence as well as testimony from a prior victim and records of other violent offenses. Martinez denied assaulting the woman but admitted he had been with her on the night in question.

On July 16, 2025, the jury returned a guilty verdict. The following day, Judge Weatherby imposed a life sentence, citing the severity of the crime and Martinez’s criminal history.

“We want to thank the jury in this case for holding a violent criminal in our community accountable,” the 51st District Attorney’s Office stated. “The sentence of life imprisonment protects our community from further acts of violence. Judge Weatherby has sent a message that the safety of our community is of paramount importance to the justice system in Tom Green County.”