Parlier man charged with stolen bike could soon face trial

PARLIER, Calif. (KFSN) — A judge on Monday cleared the way for a Parlier man to be charged with murder.

Now Edmundo Martinez may soon have to face a jury for the death of Jose Palafox Jr. in 2022.

“There is reasonable cause to believe that Mr. Martinez is guilty of this crime and that he must answer for it,” said Judge Arlan Harrell.

Although the judge found there was sufficient suspicion, Martinez continued to deny the charges.

He has pleaded not guilty to one count of murder and to using a firearm and a knife in the attack that left Palafox dead over a stolen bicycle.

Investigators say the 45-year-old victim, who called himself Joey, died of gunshot and stab wounds outside the Parlier Plaza Apartments.

“Mr. Martinez said something to Mr. Palafox, I believe it was something along the lines of, 'You stole my bike,' and then he shot him,” said Fresno County Sheriff's Detective Richard Antunez.

Antunez said Palafox fell to the ground after the first shot.

He testified that Martinez then reloaded and opened fire again until he ran out of bullets, but he wasn't finished yet.

“He started punching Mr. Palafox in the face,” the detective said.

Martinez sat quietly with his lawyer and Spanish interpreter during the testimony.

The defendant says he is the real victim because Palafox stole his $700 bicycle, his only means of transportation.

Palafox denied stealing the bike, but Martinez told investigators he was convinced Palafox was the thief.

“He described (Palafox) as someone who was a notorious thief,” Antunez testified during his interview.

“(Palafox) robbed everyone in the apartment complex, robbed everyone who was there in the city of Parlier.”

Investigators said they never found the bike.

Martinez is now due back in court on September 10, and prosecutors say they are still willing to negotiate a possible settlement to avoid a trial.

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