Huge update in rape & murder of girl, 10, whose body was found mutilated in a bathtub with killer still on the loose

A SUSPECT charged in connection with the brutal murder of a ten-year-old girl who was raped, strangled, and stabbed to death has been convicted.

Fabian Gonzales, 37, was found guilty of child abuse resulting in the 2016 death of Victoria Martens whose body was dismembered before being hidden in a burning blanket in a bathtub.

Fabian Gonzales has been found guilty of multiple charges relating to the death of 10-year-old Victoria MartensCredit: AP:Associated Press

Police determined that Victoria was tragically raped before she was strangled and stabbed to death in 2016

Gonzales' cousin Jessica Kelley said she was with Victoria at the time of her death when a Mexican man came into the house and murdered the girlCredit: AP:Associated Press

Victoria's mother Michelle Martens was also a prime suspect, but investigators determined that she left the house to buy drugs at the time of the girl's deathCredit: AP:Associated Press

Judge Cindy Leos said Gonzales will face sentencing in two to three months.

Without conviction, Gonzales faces between 18 and 40.5 years in prison according to prosecutors from the Bernalillo County District Attorney's Office, KRQE reported.

Victoria, 10, was brutally murdered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in August 2016, according to KRQE.

Investigators said Victoria was injected with methamphetamine, sexually assaulted, strangled, and stabbed to death.

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Cellphone data also showed that Martens and Gonzales were not in the home at the time of Victoria's death.

As a result, the murder charges against them both were dropped.

The murder charges were also later dropped against Kelley when she plead no contest to other charges including reckless abuse of a child resulting in death.

Meanwhile, prosecutors accused Gonzales of attempting to conceal Victoria's death by dismembering her body after he and Martens left her alone with Kelley to allegedly buy drugs and returning to find her dead.

Prosecutors contend that Gonzales' lifestyle led to Victoria's death.

"Today has been a long time coming," Torrez said after the ruling.

"But we committed to you years ago that we wouldn't stop until we found justice and that's what we're going to continue to do."

'OVERWHELMED JURY'

The defense attorney Stephen Aarons said he was disappointed with the outcome and will appeal the jury's decision, KRQE reported.

"I just think the horror of the case, (the jury was) ready to rule within a couple hours," Aarons said.

The defense attorney said he believes the DNA evidence should have exonerated Gonzales.

"It's hard to get past your emotions in a case like this, and I think those emotions overwhelmed this jury," Aarons said.

He was also highly critical of Jessica Kelley's testimony, contending that she is solely responsible for Victoria's death.

"She's probably laughing right now," Aarons said of Kelley.

FOURTH PERSON AT SCENE

During her testimony, Kelley claimed that an unidentified man with a "Mexican accent" walked into the home when she and Victoria were there alone.

She claimed that the man killed Victoria and threatened her and her children.

Kelley added that the man also said they had to destroy the evidence of his murder.

She admitted to having smoked methamphetamine for hours and had become increasingly “paranoid” in the hours before Victoria’s death.

Gonzales' defense maintained that Kelley alone killed and dismembered Victoria.

They have claimed she acted alone and tried to keep her actions from him and Victoria's mother.

Gonzales was found guilty of multiple charges including one count of reckless child abuse resulting in death, several evidence tampering charges, and a conspiracy charge.

He will face sentencing in two to three months.

Gonzales faces between 18 and 40.5 years in prison, according to prosecutors.