GREENFIELD — Monterey County District Attorney’s Office announced Feb. 5 that Noel Aguilera Ledesma, 43, currently a resident of Yuma, Ariz., has been arrested and charged with the cold-case murder of his ex-girlfriend, Yvette Martinez, in 2010.
On Oct. 10, 2010, a vehicle was discovered burning off of Highway 198 at Priest Valley Road. The vehicle was registered to 22-year-old Martinez of Greenfield. Investigators discovered her body inside the vehicle’s trunk and ruled her death a homicide.
Initial investigation by the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office established that Martinez had previously been in a dating relationship with Ledesma. While Ledesma was a suspect in the initial investigation, no arrests were made.
In July 2020, District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni created the MCDA’s Office Cold Case Task Force, which represents the largest and most comprehensive county-wide effort to investigate, solve and prosecute cold-case homicides in Monterey County. The Task Force began investigating this case in 2022 and discovered new evidence that resulted in a judicially approved warrant for Ledesma’s arrest.
District Attorney investigators arrested Ledesma on Feb. 4 with the assistance of the Yuma Police Department.
“No further details about the case will be released at this time to preserve the integrity of the investigation and future court proceedings,” stated the MCDA’s Office.
In January 2022, the Task Force received a $535,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance. The grant, titled “FY 2021 Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA,” provides funding to support forensic testing and investigative activities in the prosecution of cold cases where DNA from a suspect has been identified.
Funding from the U.S. Department of Justice grant enabled the Cold Case Task Force to seek justice in this case.
Anyone with information about the murder of Martinez is encouraged to contact District Attorney Investigator Oliver Minnig at 831-784-5648.
