On the morning of November 13, 2024, Rachael Martinez, 31, and her husband, Jose Medina, 39, were found shot dead in their vehicle close to the San Diego County Courthouse in California. The couple had been planning to attend a hearing related to a restraining order against the alleged shooter, 26-year-old Christopher Farrell, who was later killed in a police shootout.
The couple’s vehicle was discovered on Union Street, within a block of the courthouse. Authorities say they were heading towards a restraining order hearing against Farrell when they were assaulted. Earlier, on October 4, 2024, Martinez had reported Farrell to the police, accusing him of domestic violence, false imprisonment, and sex crimes.
Following Martinez’s report, an emergency protective order was secured against Farrell, leading to his arrest and subsequent termination from Inter-Con Security. He had been employed as a security guard for this contractor to the Metropolitan Transit System. The shooting incident took place at about 8:20 a.m. on that fateful Wednesday. Witnesses reported seeing a man approach the couple’s vehicle, shoot at them, and then flee on foot.
About 45 minutes later, officers from the San Diego Harbor Police Department confronted Farrell near Kettner Boulevard and Juniper Street, roughly a mile from the initial crime scene. Farrell reportedly shot a Harbor Police officer in the hip during this encounter. The officer, who had only been with the department for three months and was undergoing field training, was rushed to a trauma center. He is expected to recover. Officers returned fire during this altercation, fatally wounding Farrell.
Investigators recovered a semi-automatic handgun, multiple folding knives, a knife sheath, a holster, a tactical flashlight, and several ammunition magazines from the site of the shootout. Farrell’s vehicle was also located and impounded near 4th Avenue and Ash Street. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl commended the swift actions of the officers, stating that their quick response likely saved more lives.
According to Rachael’s sister, Charlene Martinez, Rachael had a brief relationship with Farrell. Charlene believes that the police should have confiscated all of Farrell’s firearms during their investigation of the alleged sexual assault on Rachael after their relationship ended.
Court documents show that Rachael Martinez began an affair with Farrell in August of 2024. When her husband, Medina, found out and confronted Farrell about it in late September, Farrell reportedly started intimidating the couple with repeated phone calls and text messages. Martinez claimed that Farrell refused to accept that she was married with four kids and frequently threatened to get Medina arrested.
On September 30, Martinez alleged that she was physically and sexually assaulted by Farrell when she visited his apartment to ask him to leave her family alone. She admitted herself to a hospital on October 4 and reported the assault to police, leading to Farrell’s arrest later that day. He was released the next day after posting a $50,000 bond. Following his arrest, both Martinez and Medina filed for restraining orders against Farrell, which were approved by the court in October. Farrell, however, did not attend the hearings and according to court documents, was not properly informed about them.
Even so, Farrell was apparently aware of the hearing scheduled for the morning of November 13, where Martinez planned to request an extension of her restraining order. Sadly, the couple was shot and killed before they could enter the courthouse for the 9 a.m. hearing. The investigation into the sequence of events leading up to the shootings continues, and the San Diego Police Department urges anyone with information to come forward.
A memorial has been set up at the site of the couple’s deaths on the corner of Union and Ash streets. The couple’s family has placed candles and flowers and brought holy water to bless the area. The tragic loss of Martinez and Medina is even more profound given that they leave behind four children, the youngest of whom is not yet five years old.
Jose Medina worked as a foreman overseeing a drywall team in construction, while Rachael Martinez was a private caregiver. The couple was known for organizing numerous family events. Currently, Charlene Martinez and her husband are caring for the four children while dealing with their own grief.
“They can’t fathom that it’s real. I was up until about 3 a.m. last night because the little ones were restless and crying,” Charlene Martinez said. Medina and Martinez were together for 12 years. Medina was the biological father of the two youngest children and treated Martinez’s older two from a previous relationship as if they were his own.