Severed hand found in the pocket of man suspected of killing woman in Colorado, police say

PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) — A man suspected of killing a woman in Colorado had a severed hand in his pocket when he was arrested, according to police.

Solomon Martinez, a security guard, was arrested at work on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of the woman, whose body was discovered in a creek Jan. 10, the Pueblo Chieftain reported this week.

An officer found the hand in a plastic bag inside a chest pocket of his jacket, according to Martinez’s arrest affidavit, and police believe it belonged to the woman.

Martinez, 26, allegedly told police it had been in his jacket for two days but denied killing the woman.

An unidentified witness, described as the friend of Martinez’s roommate, told police that Martinez drove to Fountain Creek and dragged what appeared to be a woman’s body down to the creek bed, according to the affidavit.

Martinez is represented by lawyers from the state public defender’s office, which does not comment on its cases.