Found Deceased TX - Leah Martin, 22, Graham, 29 May 2015 *Arrests*

[Everyday Grace]

Arrest warrants -- Billy Ray Minkley, Jr. [BM] -- Possession of a prohibited weapon; Felon in possession of a firearm

6-22-2015 -- Graham PD interviewed RH with Texas Ranger Toby Catlin and ATF. RH said BM brought the gun [the Remington short-barreled shotgun] to RH's house and gave it to him approx. one month/one and a half months prior to interview.

6-24-2015 -- Graham PD and Catlin interviewed BM. BM said he had seen and held the gun in his [BM's] home. BM denied giving the gun to RH.

BM felony conviction 3-18-1994 in Wilbarger County. Sentenced to 18 years. Released from TDCJ on 1-21-2012.

 

[KateB]

The Times Record News has now placed their article and the documents behind their paywall. I made notes from the documents and will post information from my notes in a series of posts this morning.

There are 20 pages of documents they received from the Graham Police Department under the Texas Open Records Act.

But first...coffee.

The reporter for Times Record News put them up on Scribd. All 20 pages:

https://www.scribd.com/doc/275383139/Arrest-Affidavits-Connected-to-Leah-Martin-s-Death

 

[Everyday Grace]

The reporter for Times Record News put them up on Scribd. All 20 pages:

https://www.scribd.com/doc/275383139/Arrest-Affidavits-Connected-to-Leah-Martin-s-Death

Good deal.

I short-cutted some things in my notes. I'm going to go ahead and post my notes from the last arrest affidavit on BM since it is maybe the most interesting. Folks with the time should peruse the docs in their entirety for full information and to correct anything I may have wrong in my notes.

 

[KateB]

Good deal.

I short cutted some things in my notes. I'm going to go ahead and post my notes from the last arrest affidavit on BM since it is maybe the most interesting. Folks with the time should peruse the docs in their entirety for full information and to correct anything I may have wrong in my notes.

Appreciated, because I won't have time to read them until tonight. Thanks for posting your notes.

 

[Everyday Grace]

Arrest warrant -- Billy Ray Minkley, Jr. -- Tampering/Fabricating Physical Evidence with intent to impair a human corpse

Warrant issued 8-18-2015. Affiant Jeff Smith, Graham PD.

5-29-2015 -- Last family contact with Leah Martin. Spoke to her father at approx. 930 pm.

5-29-2015 -- Video surveillance from across the street from Leah's place of employment (EC's Auto). At least 2 people were at the shop when Leah pulled into the parking lot at approx. 930 pm.

Graham PD interviewed all employees in June; none admitted being at the shop past 500 pm on 5-29.

Affidavit does not specify when Graham PD obtained video surveillance.

5-30-2015 -- Graham PD received missing person report on Leah Martin. Affiant assigned Lead Investigator.

Leah Martin's father told Graham PD she had received at least two threatening phone calls from a blocked number. Her father listened to one of those calls. The affidavit provides no further specifics as to content of the calls.

Graham PD spoke to the owner of EC's Auto, Elton Blair [ECB]. From him, they learned that Leah did not show up for work on 5-30. Her pickup was found at that location.

5-31-2015 -- Texas Ranger Toby Catlin and Graham PD Lieutenant Reeves joined the investigation into missing person report on Leah Martin.

[Not specified in my notes from the affidavit, but during the month of June, Graham PD investigated and took possession of the previously mentioned shotgun and it's possession by RH and BM.)

8-6-2015 [maybe should be 8-5?] -- Search warrant executed on property located on FM 209 in Young County where a clandestine grave containing the body of Leah Martin was discovered. Property under the control of Ross Hellams (RH) and his wife, Krista Hellams (KH).

Evidence that a backhoe was used to dig the clandestine grave. Graham PD went to Mike's West Side Rental in Graham and learned that BM rented a backhoe on 5-30 at 830 am.

8-10-2015 -- Graham PD interviews with RH and KH. Both said BM brought the backhoe to the property on 5-30. Both saw BM operating the backhoe in the area where the clandestine grave was located.

 

[Everyday Grace]

Documents received by TRN from Graham PD re Leah Martin investigation included Bond Conditions for both RH and BM. Both documents were executed and signed on 8-20-2015.

I just checked Young County Jail and neither is listed as released. Hopefully it will stay that way for awhile and the execution of the Bond Conditions docs is a standard procedure.

At any rate, the conditions checked in the two documents are strict.

After the TRN article and the documents were published yesterday evening, I re-checked some of the Facebook accounts of persons named or mentioned in the documents and noticed that some changes had been made to at least two of those accounts.

One account apparently deactivated and one with privacy settings changed where previously public posts are no longer public or deleted.

I had looked at both of those accounts just hours earlier so the changes were made sometime yesterday late afternoon or evening.

I will not be surprised if this case continues to develop rapidly.

 

[steelman]

All that information.........and still no indication of who murdered her or why.

It does look like Minkley rented the backhoe and used it that day. It also appears that RH and KH acknowledged seeing him use it on the property that day. Did they not feel compelled to walk over and ask him what the hell he was doing ? These two guys appear to be lying back and forth, I imagine they are going to end up charging both of them with her murder and coverup .

 

[cvaldez1975]

i wonder why?

 

[steelman]

We are learning more about the two men linked to the disappearance of 23-year-old Leah Martin.

Police are accusing 42-year-old Billy Minkley Junior of digging the makeshift grave where Martin's remains were found.

Forty-two-year-old Ross Hellams, who, according to the Martin family, worked with Martin at a Graham auto repair shop, is also in custody.

According to the arrest affidavit for Minkley, on August 10 police interviewed Hellams and his wife at their property west of Graham on FM 209. The couple told police Minkley came to their home with a backhoe the day after Martin went missing.

Authorities said Hellams and his wife then described how they saw Minkley operating the backhoe on their property where Martin's grave was later located. The affidavit also explained that when police discovered

Martin's remains on August 5 there was visible evidence a backhoe was used to make the grave.

http://www.texomashomepage.com/news...in-case-details-behind-the-arrests-of-two-men


Billy Ray Minkley

 

[steelman]

The affidavit further stated that Minkley rented the backhoe on the 30th of May less than 12 hours after Martin was last seen.

Now the affidavit for Hellams said on May 30 authorities interviewed a witness who said Hellams brought a brown paper bag containing clothes and a sawed off shotgun to his Graham home. The document said Hellams told this witness he was going to throw the bag of clothes and the gun in the trash dumpster.

Instead, the friend took the items from him. When Hellams left the residence, the witness called police.
On June 16, investigators located the semi-automatic 12-gauge shotgun with black tape wrapped around the grip on the handle.

Hellams' affidavit also said that when police interviewed him on June 22, he told investigators Minkley brought the gun to his property approximately one month or a month and a half prior.

That's around the time of Martin's disappearance.

Because Hellams is a convicted felon, police arrested him for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a prohibited weapon.

Neither Minkley nor Hellams are charged with murder.

http://www.texomashomepage.com/news...in-case-details-behind-the-arrests-of-two-men



Ross Earl Hellams

 

[Everyday Grace]

RH was arrested on August 5, 2015 (the day Leah's body was found) by the Dallam County Sheriff's Office. He was booked into the Dallam County Jail at 430 pm on that date. No charge listed, but presumably he was picked up on the July 17 warrants out of Graham.

He was released from that facility on August 10 -- presumably into the custody of Graham PD/Young County as he was booked into the Young County Jail on that date.

http://countyjail.com/criminal-records/dallam-county-tx/2015-08-05

For those not familiar with Texas geography -- Dalhart, Texas is in Dallam County.

 

[scmom]

Forty-two-year-old Ross Hellams, who, according to the Martin family, worked with Martin at a Graham auto repair shop, is also in custody.
http://www.texomashomepage.com/news...in-case-details-behind-the-arrests-of-two-men

 

[Amster]

Who is the witness that called police? What happened to the bag of clothes? When was the backhoe returned?

 

[Beesknees]

Who is the witness that called police? What happened to the bag of clothes? When was the backhoe returned?

Pertinent questions, Amster. The news about this case are so strange and scarce... I wonder why!

Ross, I believe is detained in connection with the case but LE says he has nothing to do with it. Minkley is said to

have dug the hole, but nevertheless nobody is accused for the murder... I understand nothing of this. Well,

unfortunately I do understand that a very young woman was murdered and her baby daughter will live forever

without her mommy. That I understand

 

[steelman]

It says in the new reports that two other individuals were present the night Leah went to the auto shop, verified by surveillance cameras across the street. After interviewing everybody, nobody admits to being at the auto shop that night.....nobody. Yet, two people other than Leah WERE there.

Hellams works at that auto shop. Hellams knew Leah very well. I think the reason the cops connected all the dots in this case is due to information none of us are privy to, such as cell phone calls and text between Hellam and Leah the night she drove over to the auto shop for some unknown reason.

Personally, I think she was lured there by one or both of them. I've thought all along this case was about someone who had an unhealthy interest in Leah, almost an obsession, and decided to find out if she liked him as much as he thought. I think the threatening phone calls was an attempt to make her "bond" with someone who would watch over her and "protect" her. I think that protector was Hellams.

Those two guys in the pictures up there are the ones behind all of this. It's my understanding that all of the CSI and forensic work is going to be done over in Ft. Worth, and it usually takes 60-90 days to get the results. We aren't anywhere even close to that yet, since her remains were found and sent to the lab just a couple of weeks ago.

They have these two locked up on weapons charges, and their bail is set high enough that it's out of reach to either of them. LE knows where they are, LE knows they aren't going anywhere. No bail bondsman in Graham, or within a 100 miles, is going to want to put 200K up for either one of these clowns.

After the lab results come back, whoever's DNA is present along with other trace evidence, is going to be charged with murder one----and the other one is going to be charged as an accessory. If both of their DNA profiles are found in that gravesite, then they're both going down for murder one.

This is a waiting game now...........waiting for the lab results to come back.

 

[Everyday Grace]

Although neither of the men arrested have been charged for the death of Leah Martin, Graham PD released the arrest warrants and affidavits under a "Request for all documents related to Leah Martin investigation" so I wouldn't say that RH's arrest is unrelated.

The fact that he was arrested in Dallam County on the afternoon that Leah's body was discovered on property controlled by RH and his wife suggests otherwise to me.

The arrest affidavits do not state what happened to the clothes in the paper bag other than RH taking them to [Redacted's] house in the bag with the short-barreled shotgun.

I doubled-checked that in the affidavits because of what KFDX/Texoma's Homepage reported regarding the clothes. I believe KFDX either made an assumption about the clothes being given to [Redacted] or they were able to get that bit of information from an LE source.

If the latter, they should have clarified that in the report.

KFDX/Texoma's Homepage did muff something else in their report on the documents -- nowhere in the affidavits does it state that [Redacted] called the police on May 30, the date RH is said to have given him the gun (the documents do characterize [Redacted] as "he.")

My inference for the time frame of [Redacted] contacting Graham PD about the gun is that it took place on or about 6-16 or possibly the day before.

As for the clothes said to have been in the bag, I hope they remained in the bag and that they are now in a lab for testing or in the evidence lock-up post-lab testing.

Who is [Redacted]? The Times Record News said they did the redaction. Looking closely at the affidavits, I've seen more thorough redactions as I have been able to ascertain some letters and one number. Combing through social media contacts of the parties involved, I think I have a couple of good candidates, but won't name them, of course.

I don't think that person had any involvement in the disappearance and death of Leah Martin.

I do wonder why RH would tell someone he was going to throw the gun into a dumpster. Why not just do it?

Unless it turns out that the shotgun is unrelated to her death. I'm putting my money on the "is related" column.

The cause of death has not been made public. My money says it will be gunshot. There was a comment made by one of Leah's family members that leads me to believe so. That family member has been demonstrably accurate in her comments, so far.

As for the return of the backhoe, I am assuming it was the same day.

Rented at 830 am. Drive it 10 miles outside of town on FM 209. Dig the grave, bury the body (I think her body was transported to the site from EC's Auto in a trailer, but that's a whole 'nuther track), cover the grave, MAYBE cut a water/sewer line trench closer to the house, load the backhoe and back to Gary's rental before the day is done.

I'm of the opinion that Leah was dead before she ever departed EC's Auto Repair shop.

 

[Everyday Grace]

It says in the new reports that two other individuals were present the night Leah went to the auto shop, verified by surveillance cameras across the street. After interviewing everybody, nobody admits to being at the auto shop that night.....nobody. Yet, two people other than Leah WERE there.

Hellams works at that auto shop. Hellams knew Leah very well. I think the reason the cops connected all the dots in this case is due to information none of us are privy to, such as cell phone calls and text between Hellam and Leah the night she drove over to the auto shop for some unknown reason.

Personally, I think she was lured there by one or both of them. I've thought all along this case was about someone who had an unhealthy interest in Leah, almost an obsession, and decided to find out if she liked him as much as he thought. I think the threatening phone calls was an attempt to make her "bond" with someone who would watch over her and "protect" her. I think that protector was Hellams.

Those two guys in the pictures up there are the ones behind all of this. It's my understanding that all of the CSI and forensic work is going to be done over in Ft. Worth, and it usually takes 60-90 days to get the results. We aren't anywhere even close to that yet, since her remains were found and sent to the lab just a couple of weeks ago.

They have these two locked up on weapons charges, and their bail is set high enough that it's out of reach to either of them. LE knows where they are, LE knows they aren't going anywhere. No bail bondsman in Graham, or within a 100 miles, is going to want to put 200K up for either one of these clowns.

After the lab results come back, whoever's DNA is present along with other trace evidence, is going to be charged with murder one----and the other one is going to be charged as an accessory. If both of their DNA profiles are found in that gravesite, then they're both going down for murder one.

This is a waiting game now...........waiting for the lab results to come back.

Yep. All that.

 

[steelman]

Although neither of the men arrested have been charged for the death of Leah Martin, Graham PD released the arrest warrants and affidavits under a "Request for all documents related to Leah Martin investigation" so I wouldn't say that RH's arrest is unrelated.

The fact that he was arrested in Dallam County on the afternoon that Leah's body was discovered on property controlled by RH and his wife suggests otherwise to me.

The arrest affidavits do not state what happened to the clothes in the paper bag other than RH taking them to [Redacted's] house in the bag with the short-barreled shotgun.

I doubled-checked that in the affidavits because of what KFDX/Texoma's Homepage reported regarding the clothes. I believe KFDX either made an assumption about the clothes being given to [Redacted] or they were able to get that bit of information from an LE source.

If the latter, they should have clarified that in the report.

KFDX/Texoma's Homepage did muff something else in their report on the documents -- nowhere in the affidavits does it state that [Redacted] called the police on May 30, the date RH is said to have given him the gun (the documents do characterize [Redacted] as "he.")

My inference for the time frame of [Redacted] contacting Graham PD about the gun is that it took place on or about 6-16 or possibly the day before.

As for the clothes said to have been in the bag, I hope they remained in the bag and that they are now in a lab for testing or in the evidence lock-up post-lab testing.

Who is [Redacted]? The Times Record News said they did the redaction. Looking closely at the affidavits, I've seem more thorough reactions as I have been able to ascertain some letters and one number. Combing through social media contacts of the parties involved, I think I have a couple of good candidates, but won't name them, of course.

I don't think that person had any involvement in the disappearance and death of Leah Martin.

I do wonder why RH would tell someone he was going to throw the gun into a dumpster. Why not just do it?

Unless it turns out that the shotgun is unrelated to her death. I'm putting my money on the "is related" column.

The cause of death has not been made public. My money says it will be gunshot. There was a comment made by one of Leah's family members that leads me to believe so. That family member has been demonstrably accurate in her comments, so far.

As for the return of the backhoe, I am assuming it was the same day.

Rented at 830 am. Drive it 10 miles outside of town on FM 209. Dig the grave, bury the body (I think it was transported to the site from EC's auto in a trailer, but that's a whole 'nuther track), cover the grave, MAYBE cut a water/sewer line trench closer to the house, load the backhoe and back to Gary's rental before the day is done.

I'm of the opinion that Leah was dead before she ever departed EC's Auto Repair shop.

I've puzzled over why Hellams would have taken a shotgun and a bag of clothes over to a third party and leave those items rather than just dispose of them himself and say nothing to anybody.

The only answer I can come up with is that Hellams believed that the person he gave the stuff to would never utter a word about it. He was obviously dead wrong, as well as a lousy judge of character. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the 911 caller was a female friend of Hellams and he may have been doing a bit of "bragging" when he dropped all the stuff off at "her" house. I base that on the witness statement that Hellam was told "I don't want a kid finding it in the dumpster".....or something to that effect. That sounds more female than male to me.
The witness(s) who called 911 and accepted the clothes and the shotgun could also be a married couple.

For some odd reason, not yet understood, he seemed to be sending the witness a message.....or gloating......or both. "Mess with me, this will happen to you too", type of thing. It really makes no sense that he wouldn't have just disposed of both the shotgun and the clothing without saying a word to anyone. No, he WANTED this witness to know that he had something to do with Leah's disappearance.

These guys may not be the sharpest knives in the drawer. I also think Hellam uses fear and intimidation to control his cohorts and acquaintances .

 

[Everyday Grace]

As more confirmed information has come out, I have to admit to being impressed with just how cagy Graham PD is being with information about this investigation.

I'm working on a timeline for Leah's case and as I put it together, I have had several "I see" "Aha!" and "hmmm" moments. Kudos, too, to Leah's family with regard to information security and timeliness.

I see the DA's hand in the caginess, too. I will say this about the District Attorney Dee Peavy -- she can be scary good and plays hardball.

I can think of a couple of my now-formerly-local crackhead thieves who were terrified of her. They play elsewhere these days.

I don't live in Graham or even Young County, but I am relatively local and I follow quite a bit of law enforcement/prosecution activity in Young County because many of my local miscreants also operate in Young County.

Because of aggressive enforcement in Young County, some of my local PsOS are now gone away for some serious time. And a few of them are currently sitting in the Young County chute looking at that same fate.

That's how this Nosy Nellie came to notice when Hellams appeared in the Young County jail. I was following Leah's disappearance and was aware of it very early. He came on my radar when the burial site was discovered.

I did not know Leah, but I do know some of her extended family members. I know them well enough to know how tenacious they are. Someone messed with the wrong family, for sure.

I have not discussed Leah's case with them other than to express concern over her disappearance and sorrow from the loss of her life. That may change as the case moves forward.

Nor do I comment on her case on social media. I do read the comments and everything else about it voraciously, cuz that's how I roll.

At any rate, my belief is that this case will see more charges and most likely more arrests, or at least one more. I trust my neighbors in Young County to see it all the way through.

Now if we can locate Candice Shields so that her family can put her body to rest.

 

[Everyday Grace]

I've puzzled over why Hellams would have taken a shotgun and a bag of clothes over to a third party and leave those items rather than just dispose of them himself and say nothing to anybody.

The only answer I can come up with is that Hellams believed that the person he gave the stuff to would never utter a word about it. He was obviously dead wrong, as well as a lousy judge of character. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the 911 caller was a female friend of Hellams and he may have been doing a bit of "bragging" when he dropped all the stuff off at "her" house. I base that on the witness statement that Hellam was told "I don't want a kid finding it in the dumpster".....or something to that effect. That sounds more female than male to me.
The witness(s) who called 911 and accepted the clothes and the shotgun could also be a married couple.

For some odd reason, not yet understood, he seemed to be sending the witness a message.....or gloating......or both. "Mess with me, this will happen to you too", type of thing. It really makes no sense that he wouldn't have just disposed of both the shotgun and the clothing without saying a word to anyone. No, he WANTED this witness to know that he had something to do with Leah's disappearance.

These guys may not be the sharpest knives in the drawer. I also think Hellam uses fear and intimidation to control his cohorts and acquaintances .

Yeah, I lean toward the recipients-of-the shotgun/contacted-law-enforcement-folks being a married couple.

It has crossed my mind that Hellams may have sold them the gun rather than just given it to them. Guns are a marketable item and Young County has been somewhat of a hub in illegal weapons trafficking.

I can see LE letting the recipient(s) slide for doing the right thing in the end.

I can't get much of a sense of Hellams' demeanor, but you may be right that is a practioner of intimidation. I do think the recipient of the gun is of a generation younger than Hellams.

Something I had wrong in my original notes from the arrest documents is that Graham PD was not present when Hellams was questioned about the gun on 6-16. Texas Ranger Catlin and ATF were. I'm figuring they were able to couch the interview in a "we're interested in where you got the gun" line to keep hazy from Hellams their real interest, lest he bug out and run at that point.

Or maybe Graham PD wasn't available that day and I'm overthinking.