Man made U-turn and intentionally ‘crushed’ roommate with Ford F-150, seen doing ‘zig zag’ maneuvers while victim was under car: Police

A 54-year-old man in Wisconsin is accused of killing his 50-year-old roommate by intentionally running him over in a pickup truck in the middle of the afternoon, dragging the body more than 100 feet in front of numerous witnesses.

Chad Michael Martinez was taken into custody earlier this month and charged with one count of first-degree intentional homicide in the slaying of John Bacher, court records show.

According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, officers with the Milwaukee Police Department at about 5:15 p.m. on Aug. 10 responded to the intersection of S. Muskego Avenue and W. Burnham Street regarding multiple reports of a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle and suffering severe injuries.

Upon arriving, officers located Bacher, who was already being treated by medical personnel with the Milwaukee Fire Department. Bacher was pronounced dead while being transported to a local hospital.

A witness told investigators that just prior to the collision, he was “riding his tricycle” in the area when he spotted a beige Ford F-150 pickup truck near the “El Jaliscience” car dealership, about two blocks from the scene. He said the car caught his eye because he was interested in buying one. After stopping at a gas station, the witness said he spotted the same truck again as the victim was crossing Burnham Street on foot. From the affidavit:

“[The witness] remained at the corner waiting to cross the street and observed the F150 truck had made a U-turn on Burnham St and was traveling westbound on Burnham St towards Bacher. [The witness] observed Bacher crossing the street and suddenly the F150 truck maneuvered around a vehicle and accelerated towards Bacher and deliberately struck Bacher. [The witness] stated the driver was the same person he had just observed when the truck passed him. [The witness] observed the F150 did not stop upon striking Bacher, and instead continued to maneuver in a ‘zig-zag’ fashion and accelerate while Bacher was crushed and stuck under the vehicle, until Bacher was ultimately dislodged from beneath the vehicle on the other side (west side) of the intersection. [The witness] indicated the driver of the F150 appeared to target Bacher by once more running him over, then the F150 fled the scene westbound on Burnham St.”

Following the incident, the witness said Bacher remained in the street and was “badly mangled.”

Surveillance footage confirmed the witness’s account, with police saying “it was apparent” from the videos that Martinez “deliberately” targeted and intended to hit Bacher, whose body was found “more than 100 feet” from where the initial collision took place.

Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.

Police matched the dealer plates on the pickup truck to the “El Jaliscience” dealership and when they arrived at the address, they said they found the F-150 still running in the parking lot. Inside was a lone male — later identified as Martinez — in the driver’s seat with his head slumped back, eyes closed, and mouth open.

Officers said Martinez “had a strong odor of alcohol and an odor of urine emanating from his person” as he “stumbled” out of the car. A subsequent test allegedly showed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.215, nearly triple the limit to legal operate a motor vehicle.

The F-150 also had blood on the bumper that police said was “consistent with having run over a person.”

In an interview, Martinez said that Bacher was his roommate and colleague at the El Jaliscience dealership, and that the two had known each other for 25 years. He also claimed to have no memory of running Bacher down with the truck.

From the affidavit:

“Defendant stated he and Bacher were at work (at “El Jaliscience”) the night before (Saturday night, August 9 into August 10) and returned home around 9am on the morning of August 10. The Defendant stated he then fell asleep and woke up around 2:30pm and started drinking whiskey and thought he drank about a liter of whiskey. The Defendant stated that he and Bacher then went to Pick N Save near 76th & Cold Spring Road and then returned home at which time the Defendant drank more whiskey and passed out on the couch. The Defendant stated that the next thing he remembers is the police trying to get him to do field sobriety tests.”

A judge set Martinez’s bond at $250,000 cash and scheduled his preliminary hearing for the afternoon of Aug. 25, records show.

The post Man made U-turn and intentionally ‘crushed’ roommate with Ford F-150, seen doing ‘zig zag’ maneuvers while victim was under car: Police first appeared on Law & Crime.