Quotes from the series

Published: Sunday, Sept. 14 2003 12:29 a.m. MDT

"There was a group of police cars with all their flashing lights, but no one was around the body. It was kind of like a piece of trash there in the parking lot."Jan Petty, 44, who had dinner at Sweet Tomatoes restaurant, just across the parking lot from Chevys, that night and was detained for more than an hour as helicopters roared overhead. She saw Peter Berg's covered body in front of the restaurant.


"The ones who can forgive can go on with life. The ones who can't forgive stay muddled in hate. They have a really tough time."Bob Stott, chief prosecutor on the Chevys case, making an observation about the victims he's seen during 30 years in the business.


"As a Christian, I am not supposed to have the feelings I had. I should have been modeling an attitude of forgiveness, but I had to go through a debriefing process myself. I was pounding the table. I wanted to hurt him." — Sandy Police Chaplain Steve Meltzer, who spent that evening at the Berg family's side.


"The main reason I don't want to do an interview is because I don't see that any good can come of it …"Quinn Martinez, in a letter to the Deseret Morning News written this summer.


"Some homicides happen because people put themselves at risk. But this was a public restaurant. This could have happened to anyone. Whitney could have been anybody's daughter. That's why it had such an impact on this community."Jo Ann Zaharias, director of the Salt Lake County District Attorney Counseling Unit.


"All of Martinez's victims … they won't have children, they won't see their family again. But Quinn can still see family members, gets his three meals a day. … I don't know what kind of a gambler you are, but I'll bet you my house he'll be out in 20 years." Jerry Guenon, witness to the shootings inside Chevys.


"I remember mainly his face. It was kind of long, it seemed long and narrow. He was very very intense and his eyes were very cold." — Testimony of Debbie Briggs, who suffered a gunshot wound in the Chevys shootings.


"The scene was chaos as people were screaming and yelling for help. I witnessed a male victim on the ground in the parking lot with several people around him performing CPR. I watched Sgt. Ishmael respond over to this victim. I followed her but was interrupted by an employee who stated her manager was lying on the ground in the restaurant, dying of a gunshot wound." — Sandy Police report, officer Brandon Colton, one of two officers first on the scene.


Question: Now up until the time you went to the motel on the 26th, how many days had you been using meth at that point?"

Answer: "I use meth every day."

Question: "Was Quinn with you on those occasions where you used meth every day?"

Answer: "Yes."

Question: "How often was he with you?"

Answer: "We were together all the time, 24/7."

Question: "So both you and Quinn … were together using meth on a daily basis for how long before that?"

Answer: "At least a good two weeks straight."

— Testimony of Jamie Lucero, who spent the days before the shooting with Quinn Martinez, his sister SeAnn Martinez, and Manuel "Bobo" Fernandez.

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