Murder suspects holed up in Phoenix motel
Jun 13, 2012, 9:01 PM | Updated: 9:01 pm
A SWAT team has forced entry into a northwest Phoenix motel room
in search of suspects in a New Mexico homicide case.
“Two, we believe, are holed up in some rooms,” said Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. “We have our SWAT team out here, our canine unit and we’re trying to determine if they are in fact in those rooms. We do have a third suspect we are talking to on the outside.”
Arpaio said a tip led his deputies to the motel. The tipster also said the men were on their way south into Mexico.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office says three women and one man were removed
from the room of a Motel 6 around 7:15 p.m. Wednesday and authorities are
working to confirm their identities.
Authorities say they believe the man is 20-year-old Richard Winter and one of
the women is 26-year-old Sarah Martinez. They say both Winter and Martinez are
wanted for questioning by New Mexico police in a May 27 murder case.
The manager of the Motel 6 at 24th Avenue and Bell said there was police present.
The hotel was not been evacuated.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
