Duncan Martinez and Nathaniel Blalock were convicted for the murder of Ronald Baker three decades ago. The brutal nature of the crime is what keeps it etched in the memories of the family and the public. As with such cases, many wonder about the whereabouts of the convicted fellows, more so Duncan Martinez. Where is Duncan Martinez today? Duncan Martinez profile summary Name Duncan Martinez Convicted for First-degree murder of Ronald Baker Known for The murder of Ronald Baker College University of California, Los Angeles What is Duncan Martinez’s story? Duncan Martinez was a UCLA student in the early 90s before he was convicted of the murder of his roommate, Ronald Baker. Now, he and his roommate are referred to as the “killer roommates” following their grievous crime. How did he get himself convicted? Duncan and Ronald Baker met in their first year of college while working at Sears, a department store company outlet near the UCLA campus. Ronald was studying astrophysics at the institution of higher learning. Martinez and Ronald became friends and shared a West Hollywood apartment for a year. In January 1990, they moved into a two-bedroom Van Nuys residence. It is here that they welcomed their third roommate, Nathaniel Blalock. Duncan and Ronald were so close to one another that the former had met the latter’s parents. He also attended his funeral and assisted in eulogising Ronald when the time came. Family and friends were shocked two years later that the “friend” who eulogised Ronald would confess to partaking in his murder.In the early morning of June 22, 1990, hikers came across a grisly sight of a bloody body in a railroad tunnel in Chatsworth, a suburb of Los Angeles. The tunnel was infamous for being associated with the Manson gang, who hung there often. The police, through a missing-persons report, identified the victim as Ronald Baker, a 21-year-old UCLA student. Ronald had been reported missing on June 22. At the time of his death, the victim was wearing a pentagram, and according to his sister, he was heavily interested in mysticism. The autopsy report revealed that Ronald Baker was stabbed eighteen times. Although the police didn’t initially have the right direction, during the course of the investigation, they were able to figure out that Ronald was murdered in a kidnap plot organised by his roommates. The information came out clearly because of Duncan Martinez’s confession about two years after the murder in 1993. He confessed that he and Nathanial Blalock killed their former roommate. Martinez also stated that it was initially intended to be a kidnapping plot to extract money from Ronald’s parents but shifted into a murder because of Nathaniel’s actions. What happened to Duncan Martinez? Once Duncan Martinez told the police the truth about Ronald’s murder, they tracked Nathaniel Blalock and found him serving time for an unrelated robbery conviction. Nathaniel also admitted his role in the murder, informing detectives that he stabbed Ronald at least twice. Duncan and Nathaniel were charged with murder in separate trials because of the varying evidence. In March 1996, Nathaniel Blalock was convicted by a Los Angeles Superior Court jury and sentenced to life without parole. On the other hand, Duncan Martinez was charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to life. During an interview with Visalia Times-Delta, Duncan stated that after hearing his sentence, he was prepared to take his life. I get ‘guilty’, and then five minutes later, I have to start thinking about how I’m going to do a lifetime of this. I had decided it. And I have never remotely been suicidal. Fortunately for Duncan Martinez, in the summer of 2020, a California governor commuted his ruling, making him eligible for parole. Duncan Martinez’s release date Duncan Martinez’s initial sentence was life without parole, but his fortunes changed in 2020 when his sentence was commuted, and he got a chance to get paroled. Therefore, Duncan was released from California State Prison in Los Angeles County in early 2021. However, Nathanial Blalock is still serving time in prison for Ronald Baker’s murder. He serves at the medium-security Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California. Where is Duncan Martinez today Duncan Martinez is out of prison as he was released in early 2021. He has since stayed away from public attention, going for a life away from the spotlight, and has found solace in education. Two years before being arrested, Duncan Martinez had started studying film at the University of Utah for two years, and he completed his studies while in prison. Through sound programs like Project Rebound, Duncan Martinez advanced himself in and out of prison, and a year after his release, he became a Master of Fine Arts student at Cal State Los Angeles. Duncan Martinez on Dateline Ronald Baker’s murder story appeared in an episode of Dateline on August 25, 2023. The episode was titled Night of the Summer Solstice. It shed more light on the events surrounding Ronald Baker’s murder and Duncan Martinez’s and Nathaniel Blalock’s involvement.
by Simon Ayub