Fred C. Martinez was a sixteen-year-old Navajo youth living in Cortez, Colorado, known as an incredibly kind person who was never afraid to be himself. Fred identified as nádleehí—a "two-spirit" person in Navajo culture who embodies both masculine and feminine spirits—and was cherished by his family for his gentle nature and love for fashion. Tragically, Fred’s life was cruelly ended in June 2001 by Shaun D. Murphy, who was born on March 4, 1983. Murphy attacked Fred with unbelievable brutality, beating him to death with a rock. Despite the clear evidence that Fred was targeted for his identity, the legal system at the time failed to officially recognize the true motive—that Fred was killed simply for who he was.
Following the murder, Murphy bragged about the act to his friends and used hateful language. Even before this horrific crime, Murphy was a troubled individual who was already on probation and had been expelled from all schools due to his dangerous behavior. Murphy was originally sentenced to 40 years in prison for this brutal act. However, the reality of his punishment remains a shock to those seeking justice. According to official records from the Colorado Department of Corrections for offender Shaun D. Murphy, DOC number 113829, he was admitted on July 1, 2002.
While his estimated institutional discharge was originally set for August 2022, he became eligible for parole as early as December 27, 2016. Records show his actual parole date was May 16, 2018. Most distressing is that he received an early parole discharge on July 23, 2020. An official statement from the CDOC confirms that Shaun Murphy was paroled in 2018 and fully discharged from supervision in 2020, and the department currently has no information regarding his whereabouts.
It is impossible to see this as justice when a man sentenced to 40 years for such a calculated and brutal act is walking free after serving less than half of that time. While Fred Martinez never got the chance to grow old, his killer has enjoyed total freedom since the age of 37. This history is shared so that Fred is never forgotten and to highlight a system that allowed a cold-blooded killer to return to society decades ahead of schedule without ever fully acknowledging the hate that drove his crime.
