Man found guilty in Austgen slaying - nwitimes.com
Catalina Noriega said her ex-husband, Ralph Martinez, told her he had rented from Austgen. After hearing two weeks worth of evidence, a Lake County jury deliberated only two hours Friday before finding Martinez guilty of murder, murder in the perpetration of a robbery, robbery and criminal confinement. Prosecutors allege he hid for hours in a small bathroom March 28, 2013, in the lobby of Mary Austgen's family business in Griffith. Austgen, 76, of St. John, was found shot to death early March 29, 2013, in the passenger seat of her GMC Yukon parked in the Majestic Star Casino in Gary. That same suspect is later seen on video leaving the Majestic Star Casino where Austgen's body would be found by her family. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Mark Watson told jurors the evidence surrounding the suspect led to one conclusion: Martinez killed Austgen. During a video phone call from the Lake County Jail, Martinez tells his daughter, Christina Cooper, it is him in the photo. Martinez's three daughters identified him during the trial as the suspect seen walking up a stairwell in the Austgen business. Source: www.nwitimes.com
