Man arrested after killing a 60-year-old food delivery driver in Glendale

GLENDALE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - A man has been arrested after police said he killed a 60-year-old woman who was delivering food to him in Glendale earlier this month. Officers said they were responding to a report that a car had driven off of the road into a landscaping area near Bell Road and 61st Avenue on June 11 around 7:30 p.m. The vehicle’s airbags did not go off, and it appeared to be a low-impact accident. The driver, later identified as Pamela Rae Martinez from Glendale, died at the scene.

A witness told officers that Martinez was parked on the side of the road and a man, later identified as Rusty French, standing next to her car. Police said the witness saw French get into his van, parked next to Martinez’s car, and drive off. Police later discovered that Martinez had just finished her last food delivery and, for some reason taken a picture of French while he was driving his van.

Investigators questioned French while his home was searched on Wednesday, June 15. During questioning, detectives showed French the photo Martinez had taken of him just moments before she died. French admitted to investigators it was him in the picture but argued that he “must have blacked out” at the time. During their search of French’s home, detectives found several Handguns, one of which matched the gun used in the shooting, ballistic tests confirmed.

Police say neither French nor Martinez knew each other. French was arrested on Thursday and booked for alleged second-degree murder. The Maricopa County Attorney’s office will determine what charges French will face in court.

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