A Tucson businessman killed in his Foothills home last week spent his last hours tied to a chair with his own and belts and neckties as his house was ransacked and stripped of valuables, a court document shows.
Robert Belman, 71, was still tied to the chair when Pima County sheriff's deputies found him dead in the master bedroom Thursday, according to an interim criminal complaint filed Friday at Pima County Justice Court.
The suspect charged in the killing had been ordered off Belman's the property three days earlier when he set off a security alarm that triggered a law enforcement visit, the complaint said. It also said a a second person may have been involved.
Belman was essentially immobilized β restrained in the chair by his neck, chest arms, legs and ankles Β β and had "obvious signs of trauma" when deputies found his body at his home inΒ the 5400 block of East Calle Barril, near the intersection of North Craycroft Road and East Territory Drive.
Employees atΒ Arizona Auto Refrigeration,Β the company Belman owned, requested a welfare check believing their boss had gone missing, the complaint said.
The complaint filed in court was redacted to remove Belman's name but it was clear from the context who the information pertained to.
Security camera footage from the day before Belman's body was found showed a person wearing a red shirt, dark shoes and ski mask who appeared to be pushing the victim into a room, it said.
Electronics and other valuables were missing from Belman's home and a safe in the master bathroom had been opened with a key and cleaned out. The victim's wallet also was emptied and his white 2017 Toyota Tacoma truck was missing, it said.
Deputies found the truck with a fake license plate about a quarter-mile from where they found the murder suspect at 775 E. Navajo Road, near North 1st Avenue and East Fort Lowell Road, the complaint said.
A search of another vehicle the suspect was seen in turned up numerous items that belonged to Belman including the license plate to his truck, Β the document said.
It said deputies are also seeking another man who was reportedly trying to sell some of the stolen items.
Frank Eugene Martinez, Jr., 34, is charged on suspicion of first degree murder, kidnapping, burglary and unlawful use of means of transportation. The court document does not indicate whether Martinez has an attorney who could comment on the case.
Martinez is the same man a sheriff's deputy shooed off Belman's property three days before the victim's body was found, the complaint said.Β
It said Martinez tripped an alarm that day when he entered a garage workshop. He told the deputy who responded that he'd been out walking in the neighborhood and that Belman had given him a bottle of water so he wanted to stop by to say thanks.
Belman confirmed to the deputy that he'd given the man water and at that point "Mr. Martinez was asked to leave the property," the complaint said.
In an interview with law enforcement, Martinez denied involvement with Belman's killing, the complaint said
"He said it was not his intention to burglarize the house and denied ever going into the house," it said.
Martinez did admit "to having committed other burglaries recently but did not provide a date or location," it added.
Investigation continues and anyone with information is asked to call 88-CRIME.
