Endless Grief - The Murders of Sagittarius, DeMario and Martinique

Episode #48 Sagittarius Gomez

[Shaun] 

Carolyn Clark knew something was wrong right away when her daughter Sagittarius Gomez started dating Eric Covington in 2008 and introduced him to her and her grandchildren, who were only 2 and 5 years old at the time. She saw the signs of domestic abuse in Eric and Sagitarius’s relationship and feared for her daughter’s safety and for the safety of her grandchildren.

[John] 

When the unimaginable finally happened, it was the third time tragedy had struck their family and the second time in only 3 months.

(Music - Pause for 8 seconds)

[Shaun] 

Hi and welcome to Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast, where we focus on cases that deal with domestic violence, as well as missing persons and unsolved cases. I’m your host, Shaun, and with me as always, is the one and only John.

[John] 

I am the only John in the room.

[Shaun] 

The case we researched this week is a case of domestic violence as you’d expect, but horrifyingly two other tragedies happened to this same Las Vegas family. 

Two occurred in the same year, and one happened 9 years earlier so this is an instance where it's clear to see that the victims are not only the people directly affected, but the whole family, and the whole community.

What happened to Sagittarius is a terrifying story that highlights the realities of what people in abusive and violent relationships experience and it also serves as an example of how it can be incredibly hard to leave a situation. 

Do you want to start us out with the first case involving Sagittarius Gomez?

[John] 

Sure, although her name was Sagittarius, she was not, in fact, a Sagittarius. Sagittarius Gomez was born in Las Vegas on August 2, 1986, (making her a leo) and she should have been here to celebrate her 38th birthday just a few weeks ago.

From what we could find through our research, Sagittarius had a very large and loving family. Her mother’s name is Carolyn Clark and her father is Andre Brown. Carolyn has two sisters (Sagitarius’s aunts) named Catherine Clark and Pamela Tillman. 

Sagittarius has two daughters, whose names we won’t share, who were 5 and 2 in 2010, so they were born around 2005 and 2008 and she also has quite a few cousins. 

Before we go any further, we just want to take a second to acknowledge the work of journalist Mike Blasky of the Review-Journal in documenting Sagittarius’s story.

[Shaun]

Around 2008, Sagittarius started dating Eric Covington, who was born in Las Vegas on August 7, 1983. According to Sagittarius’s mother, Carolyn, Eric was in a long-term relationship with another woman for over 10 years, and they had three children together. Carolyn stated that Covington had no intention of ending his relationship with the other woman, but he continued to see Sagittarius.

Carolyn did not like Eric, and her dislike began from their very first meeting. When she first met him, Eric smoked pot in front of her and Sagittarius’s young daughters. For Carolyn, this behavior told her all she needed to know about Eric. 

She said: QUOTE

'I told Sagittarius, 'He disrespected your mother and your children.' Any time a man has intentions of really being with you, he's going to be on his best behavior for your mom and your kids."

If Sagittarius had a problem with that or his lack of commitment, that wasn’t clear to Carolyn. Her mom said that she was “head over heels” in love with him. 

Eric and Sagittarius shared an apartment on the east side of Vegas, near Hollywood Blvd and East Sahara. We of course don’t have all the details of their daily lives as a couple, but we do know that in March of 2010, the two of them broke up. In mid-April, Covington broke into her apartment and attacked her, beating and strangling her. [Is this the right place to mention the stats on strangulation?]

He was arrested for attempted murder, 1 count of felony domestic battery for the strangulation, and 3 additional counts of domestic battery. According to the police report, he told Sagittarius “if I can’t have you no one can.”. That threat is an incredibly concerning red flag, and is often cited as one of the 7 top “deadly signs” in a relationship [should we list the others or safe it for DV month]

Carolyn said that the case was dropped because Sagittarius didn’t want to testify against Eric. Which, as we’ve talked about before, isn’t that uncommon in these situations. There are a lot of possible reasons for this including the victim fearing the abuser’s reaction.

Her mom said "She just couldn't let him go. He kept lying to her, telling her that he loved her. She believed him."

[John]

Sagittarius was in significant danger. The risk of becoming a victim of domestic violence homicide greatly increases if one has previously been strangled by their partner. Additionally, around this time, Sagittarius became pregnant.

We have mentioned before that ​​homicide is the leading cause of death for pregnant women in the United States, and abuse often increases with pregnancy. 

About 20% of pregnant women experience abuse, and women with unintended pregnancies are 2 to 4 times more likely to experience abuse than women with planned pregnancies. 

Based on what her family said and the police records, Eric was definitely becoming more violent.

On October 16, 2010, Eric attacked her again, severely enough for the police to be called. According to her Aunt Pamela, he had choked her again. He also stole $700 from her, but according to the police report, she again refused to press charges against him. 

The police were quoted as saying "Gomez is afraid of Eric's response when he finds out she no longer wants to be with him. She believes Covington will attempt to hurt her if she does not take him back."

[Shaun]

By October, Sagittarius was about 6 months pregnant with a son. Carolyn has said that she tried to talk Sagittarius out of being with Eric many times, but there was nothing she could say to convince her. Sagittarius was justifiably terrified of Eric. Whether or not she was planning on leaving him, he attempted to kill her twice in 6 months. If you or someone you know is going through this, please contact a hotline for help.

We don’t know for sure whether Sagittarius ever did that. I want to note here that based on our research, her two youngest daughters were not living in the apartment with her at this time. 

Early in the morning on November 6, 2010, neighbors reported hearing screaming, but no one called the police. One neighbor named George would later testify that he had heard QUOTE a “horrific, very loud scream,” and that he regretted not calling 911.  

Later that day, accounts differ a bit, either her friend Heather, her father Andre, or possibly both went to her apartment. They had expected her to come pick up her children that day, but she did not. 

When Heather got to the house, she knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Heather was very aware of how abusive Eric had become, so she looked around the outside of the apartment and she could see blood on one of the windows and on the patio so she called 911. 

Her father, Andre, told 8 News Now that he saw bloodstains on the floor, by the door, and some marks by the window.

The police arrived and had the apartment maintenance workers drill through the lock on her apartment door so they could enter. 

Horrifically, Sagittarius, who was visibly 7 months pregnant, was dead on the floor of the apartment. She had significant trauma to her neck and abdomen and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police discovered a bloody kitchen knife nearby. The autopsy would later reveal she had been stabbed more than 120 times over the course of an hour. 

[John]

Since Metro had previous calls to Sagittarius and Eric’s apartment, the officers right away knew that they needed to talk to him. 

They found Eric at his parents’ house later that day, and had him transported for questioning. 

When he was questioned by the police, Eric waived his rights and confessed that he had gone to their apartment to talk about their relationship. 

He said that he and Sagittarius had recently broken up, and he was trying to convince her to take him back. When he realized that wasn’t going to happen, he took out his switchblade knife that he carried with him. 

He said he didn’t want his baby to be raised by another man, so he stabbed Sagittarius repeatedly. He gave up on using the switchblade and also used a kitchen knife to stab her. 

He also took the flat-screen TV off the wall, and also Sagittarius’s key, left the apartment, and locked the door behind him.

He was placed under arrest and charged with first-degree murder as well as manslaughter because Sagittarius was 7 months pregnant, and robbery and burglary. He was held without bail. 

[Shaun] 

Eric Covington was represented by two well-known Las Vegas defense attorneys, Lisa Rasmussen and Osvaldo Fumo. 

The prosecutors intended to seek the death penalty for Covington, and his attorneys filed multiple pretrial motions in order to make sure Eric got a fair trial and that the jury selection process was balanced. 

For example, they objected to the first phase of the trial being called the “Guilt” or “Guilty” phase of the trial, and they didn’t want Sagittarius’s pregnancy to be referred to as “baby” or “child”, presumably because it would prejudice the jury. 

They also concentrated on ensuring that Eric did not receive the death penalty. They motioned to stop the prosecution from using their preemptive strikes against jurors to eliminate people from the jury just because they were hesitant to impose the death penalty. They also wanted to be able to introduce evidence about racial bias that occurs in the application of the death penalty. 

Most of these pretrial motions were denied, and the trial was scheduled to begin in October 2016. 

[John]

Shortly after jury selection began, Eric Covington’s attorneys filed a motion to have Covington declared “Intellectually Disabled.”

His attorneys stated that they had difficulty working with Covington because he had difficulties processing information that was given to him. 

They had two psychologists evaluate him, one determined his IQ was 77, and another determined it was 62. 77 would be considered borderline, but 62 is below the threshold for intellectual difficulty. 

The mental health professionals also interviewed his family members and reviewed his school records. Eric had showed signs of intellectual difficulties before age of 18, but he never been placed in any special education classes. They noted that his grades varied and he did not graduate from high school. 

Based on what they discovered, they concluded that he had “intellectual and adaptive limitations” and was someone with an intellectual disability.  

In 2002, in the case of Atkins v. Virginia, the US Supreme Court ruled that executing individuals with intellectual disabilities violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. 

The ruling emphasized that any such execution was unconstitutional because of the reduced culpability and moral blameworthiness of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

The State asked for an independent evaluation of Covington, and the Court held a hearing where the judge looked at the statements from all 3 psychologists and the other evidence presented. The Court declared he was Intellectually disabled and took the death penalty off the table. 

The trial was then halted while the State appealed that order. The Supreme Court of Nevada ruled on the appeal in 2019 and found that the Judge was correct in their conclusions and wrote: 

Family members acknowledged that Covington had generally lower comprehension than his siblings or peers; was oblivious to the consequences of his actions; was unable to follow movie plots, literature, or conversations; and was gullible, lacked insight into others’ emotions, and generally did not engage in the typical behaviors of an independent adult, including consistent employment, budgeting, and parental problem-solving.

[Shaun] 

Before a second trial could begin, the State was able to reach a plea deal with Covington. He pleaded guilty in March of 2020 to:

• First Degree Murder With Use Of A Deadly Weapon 
• Manslaughter - Killing Unborn Child
• Robbery With Use Of A Deadly Weapon
• Burglary While In Possession Of A Deadly Weapon

In September 2020 he was sentenced to Life with the possibility of parole after 20 years, plus additional time for the other 3 crimes. The earliest date he’d be eligible for parole will be November of 2041. 

[John]

Sagittarius’s murder and the loss of her unborn son caused unfathomable grief to her mom and sister. Her mom, Carolyn, was together with her two sisters, when the police allowed the family to have access to Sagittarius’s apartment, once it was no longer an active crime scene.

The three sisters held each other close that day, as they all deeply understood each other’s pain. We mentioned earlier that this was not the first time tragedy had struck this family. Sadly, Carolyn, Catherine, and Pamela all lost their oldest children to acts of violence. 

[Shaun] 

Sagittarius had a cousin named DeMario Reynolds Sr, who attended UNLV and played for the UNLV football team as a linebacker up until 2005.

He was a big young man, 6’ tall and 210 lbs. He graduated in 2006 and worked as a club promoter at the Cathouse Night Club which closed in 2012. He was the son of Catherine Clark (obviously Carolyn’s sister)  and Roy Reynolds Sr. He had a fiancee named Iman Aubrey, and a son also named DeMario born in 2003, so he would have been about 7 in 2010. He also had 5 brothers and sisters.

In his job there he became friends with Jason Sindelar, a professional MMA fighter who also promoted the nightclub at the hotel. Sindelar was from Gilette, Wyoming, and started fighting competitively shortly after High School. He had 4 amateur fights, then turned pro, and had one professional fight in 2008 in North Dakota.

Sindelar moved to Las Vegas in 2008. Obviously Las Vegas is a great place to move if you’re an up-and-coming MMA fighter, and 2008 was when the sport was really gaining traction. There were a lot of MMA gyms popping up here run by people like Randy Couture and other big names in MMA.. there was Xtreme Couture, 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu, Cobra Kai, several Gracie Jiu Jitsu gyms, and Syndicate just to name a few. 

MMA isn't known for paying very well except at the very top levels so it makes sense that Sindelar needed a job outside of the fight training.

[John]

So these two met as club promoters for the Luxor and became best friends according to all the information we found. They were thick as thieves. They seemed to have an overlapping friend circle too.

DeMario’s fiancee Iman Aubrey, who was 17 years older than him, owned a company called “Purrfect LV” which hosts things (to this day) called “lifestyle mix and mingle parties” which are essentially swinger parties. The party in question on the night of June 19th, 2010, was one of these swinger lifestyle parties that happened in suite 13335 of the Luxor that DeMario attended with his Fiancee who was running the party.

Jason Sindelar arrived around 2 am with his girlfriend Chamaine Kemp and some others. The details surrounding what happened are a little sketchy (possibly because there are allegations of cocaine, ecstasy and alcohol use at the party) but from what we were able to piece together Sindelar and Charmaine got into a fight in the suite bathroom around 4am.

Sindelar allegedly grabbed her by the throat and slapped her after accusing her of breaking his phone. 

DeMario intervened, grabbed Sindelar, and took him to the ground. Witnesses said that he kept telling Sindelar that he loved him and that he didn't want to fight, he just wanted him to stop, because all of this was making his fiancee look bad that this was happening at her party. He was clearly trying to de-escalate the situation.

[Shaun] 

Unfortunately, that wasn't in the cards. Sindelar, remember he’s a trained MMA fighter, started assaulting DeMario, punching him in the face and chest. At one point Sindelar apparently left, and witnesses said that DeMario was sweating and out of breath on the couch. 

Sindelar returned and attacked him again, leading to DeMario being curled up on the floor defensively. Other people at the party tried to get Sindelar to stop, but the assault lasted about 30 minutes. 

Sindelar finally stopped, they called security, and he fled. Demario was brought to the Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

The police located and arrested Sindelar, but he was allowed to post bail and be released while the autopsy results were pending. There was some question if DeMario’s death was due to some underlying medical condition or the assault. Sindelar was charged with second-degree murder initially and then indicted for the lesser charge of manslaughter on October 19th, 2010.

The coroner in this case, whose name was Alane Olson initially testified that DeMario had “lethal” levels of ecstasy, cocaine, and alcohol in his body. She said it was “possible” that the fight had caused a heart arrhythmia (noting that he had suffered from high blood pressure)

She also initially ruled the death an accident but then changed her ruling to homicide after she’d spoken with other professionals in the field. She seemed to have solid reasons for this, but the damage was done in the court case.

In the end, the case was dismissed by the judge because of all the back and forth about the cause of death, leaving his family with no justice. Even worse, the final determination of Demario’s cause of death is listed as an overdose.

He was only 26 years old. 

[John]

I think Demario did what many of us would do in a case where domestic violence is happening in public. It's not at all contested that Sindelar had grabbed Charmaine by the throat, choking her, and also slapping her.

I’d like to think that any of us would attempt to intervene and de-escalate and get the victim to safety. De-escalation is the right thing to try in a case like this, but the police also need to be called and a report made. If there are several people present some can be working on de-escalation while others are getting the police to respond

The third tragedy that happened to this family happened back in 2001, long before iPhones and Facebook and Instagram, and there are few details available about the case. Pamela Tillman,  Carolyn and Catherine’s eldest sister had a son named Martinique Tillman was born on December 22nd, 1979. He worked as a telemarketer and he was a lifetime resident of Las Vegas. He had a fiancee named Monica Carter, and three children... two sons and a daughter.

In the early morning of May 28th, 2001, he was sleeping in a disabled car which belonged to Edward Lee Smith, in an alley near the apartment where Smith’s girlfriend lived. Smith came across Martinique, and from outside the car, stabbed Martinique 8 times, with one of the wounds piercing his heart, resulting in his death.

Smith was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in May 2001. He was paroled and is now out of prison as of May 2023.

[Shaun] 

Our hearts go out to the Clark and Tillman families around these three horrible tragedies. Pamela said that all the kids were great kids, sweet, easy-going. “They were the kind of people that always had a smile on their faces," she said.

We wanted to share all of their stories to highlight some of the problematic behaviors and patterns that can result in tragedy. It’s vitally important to be aware of these. 

Strangulation in any form is a huge red flag. It is the single greatest predictor of homicide in abusive relationships. The odds of homicide increase by 750% in the next year for victims who have been previously strangled by their partner.

Strangling or “choking” someone isn’t a game. Remember that in 5-10 seconds a victim can lose consciousness, in 15 seconds they can lose bladder control, in 30 seconds, bowel control. In as little as 1-3 minutes, strangulation can be fatal.

Sagittarius’s family expressed their frustration and fear over her abusive relationship. Please remember there are resources out there that can help support you as you try to help your loved ones through something like this. Those resources exist for you as well, so do not hesitate to reach out. 

These cases happened in Las Vegas but as we always remind you, what happens here, happens everywhere.