Trial adds anguish to families' agony

"The truth of it is, it absolutely ruined our lives," Yvonne Rasmussen said, her voice shaking.

It was more than three years ago that Utah police called her Rexburg, Idaho, home to report her son had been killed in a random shooting at the Salt Lake-area restaurant where he worked.

Since then, the Rasmussens have faced debilitating medical problems and emotional wear and tear the average person just can't know.

The stress of the shooting is responsible for a paralyzing case of rheumatoid arthritis her husband, Alan Rasmussen, has developed, his wife said. He's tried various medications, and none seem to help.

"I mean, there have been times when he hasn't been able to walk without a walker," she said. "There have been times I was afraid it was going to kill him."

It is excruciating for Yvonne Rasmussen, 61, to describe the past three years. The stress of losing a child is enormous, and the traumatic way in which Jason died is almost unbearable, even today.

"You are never the same," she said. "The more I dwell on it, and the more it is stirred … the more it is rubbed in your face and the more angry you get, the worse off you are."

One of the most difficult things for Quinn Martinez's victims was that the case was delayed and delayed as defense attorneys tried to prepare properly to fight two capital murder charges against Martinez.

In all, defense attorneys filed more than 50 motions.

"We had to go to several hearings and be in the same room — and see that he hadn't really shown remorse for what he had done," Yvonne Rasmussen said. "As soon as he realized he was going to be locked up for life, he was sorry, but at first he was not sorry."

Victims and prosecutors would show up to court only to have the case postponed for one reason or another, Salt Lake County Deputy District Attorney Bob Stott said.

At a hearing May 24, 2000, Martinez smiled as he was led into a 3rd District courtroom and offered a nod to a small group of friendly faces gathered for his pretrial hearing.

Four months after the shooting, all of the victims and key witnesses testified at a preliminary hearing.

Joshua Parker, a young Chevys waiter, was the first to talk to Martinez on April 27, 2000, the night he walked into the Chevys Fresh Mex on Fort Union Boulevard looking for a phone.