Oct. 13, 2025
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
The third suspect in a Whitehall Township killing has pleaded guilty.
36-year-old Christian Martinez-Ramos of Allentown pleaded guilty Monday to third-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan and Whitehall Township Police Chief Michael Marks.
Judge Robert L. Steinberg sentenced Martinez-Ramos to 30 to 60 years in prison.
He is the third person to plead guilty to charges related to the shooting death of Hector Garcia Gomez on Dec. 7, 2024.
Awaiting sentencing is the victim’s wife, Brenda Rodriguez, who pleaded guilty in September to a charge of Conspiracy – Aggravated Assault. Liz Marie Pacheco also pleaded guilty and faces 5 to 10 years in prison.
Rodriguez was in a car in the parking lot of Loco Hot Deals on MacArthur Road in Whitehall, where her husband was shot multiple times. After he was shot, she “eventually got out of the car, adjusted her clothing and hair and picked up several items before slowly walking into the store,” according to Holihan’s statement.
Here’s the statement from District Attorney Holihan and Police Chief Marks:
OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY
Gavin P. Holihan
District Attorney
Oct. 13, 2025
LEHIGH COUNTY COURTHOUSE
District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan and Whitehall Township Police Chief Michael Marks announce a third person has pleaded guilty in a killing outside a store and was sentenced to decades in state prison.
Christian Martinez-Ramos, DOB 8/24/1989, of Allentown, pleaded guilty today to Murder of the Third Degree and Conspiracy to Commit Murder of the Third Degree; both felonies. As part of the plea deal, Judge Robert L. Steinberg sentenced Martinez-Ramos to 30 to 60 years in prison.
Two other defendants were also charged in the killing of Hector Garcia Gomez, who was shot several times shortly after 6 p.m. Dec. 7, 2024 in the parking lot of Loco Hot Deals located at 1155 MacArthur Road.
Liz Marie Pacheco pleaded guilty earlier this month to Murder of the Third Degree and was sentenced to serve 5 to 10 years in state prison.
Gomez’s wife, Brenda Rodriguez, pleaded guilty in September to a charge of Conspiracy – Aggravated Assault. Rodriguez is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 5.
Officers found Garcia Gomez with multiple gunshot wounds to his abdomen and he later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. Garcia Gomez, 46, of Palmerton, died of multiple gunshot wounds and his death was ruled a homicide by the Lehigh County Coroner.
Video surveillance showed Garcia Gomez’s vehicle arrive in the parking lot and while he was inside the store, Rodriguez stayed inside the car and appeared to be on her phone.
The investigation revealed that Rodriguez was providing information via cell phone detailing her
husband’s location to Liz Marie Pacheco. Pacheo then relayed the location to Christian Martinez-Ramos, who arrived minutes later to the parking lot.
The investigation showed that as Garcia Gomez left the store and began to get inside his car, Martinez Ramos drove his vehicle through the parking lot and parked behind Garcia Gomez. Gunshots were fired at Garcia Gomez by Martinez-Ramos from his vehicle, striking Garcia Gomez multiple times.
After Garcia Gomez was shot, video surveillance showed Rodriguez remained inside the car for more than 22 seconds. Rodriguez eventually got out of the car, adjusted her clothing and hair and picked up several items before slowly walking into the store.
This case was investigated by Whitehall Township Police Detective Lindsay Yetter, Lehigh County
Homicide Task Force Detectives Timothy Salgado, James Bruchak and Amaury Almonte and is
prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney James A. Augustine.
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 