FORT WORTH, TX — On August 18, 2025, 24-year-old Eli Martinez of Grand Prairie pled guilty to murder and was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the fatal shooting of 30-year-old Eric Martiz Hill, Jr. in Haltom City.
Shooting in Grocery Store Parking Lot
On May 23, 2024, Haltom City Police responded to reports of gunfire at the Aldi grocery store on Denton Highway. Officers discovered Hill in the parking lot with fatal gunshot wounds. Investigators identified Martinez as the suspect.
Multi-State Fugitive Search and Arrest
Following the shooting, Martinez fled Texas. On May 27, 2024, at 12:04 p.m., the Kay County Sheriff’s Department in Oklahoma received word that Martinez was driving southbound from Kansas, possibly on I-35 or Highway 177, in a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force coordinated with multiple agencies to intercept him. At 12:08 p.m., technology pinpointed Martinez in Wellington, Kansas, near Highway 81 and Highway 160.
By 12:28 p.m., Wellington Police arrested Martinez along with a second suspect, 24-year-old Deja Shanta Burt Roberts of Fort Worth. Both were booked into the Sumner County Jail. Martinez was later extradited to the Tarrant County Jail on June 5, 2024, where he remained in custody until trial.
Prosecution and Upcoming Case
The case was prosecuted by Lisa Callaghan with investigative support from DA Investigator Darran Gabbert…